General Flight Ops Flashcards
Winter Operations
● Takeoff is prohibited when frost, ice, or snow is adhering to any critical surface of the aircraft.
● This is referred to as the Clean Aircraft Concept.
● Greater detail on this subject can be found in the presentation on “Aircraft Critical Surface Contamination”
Cold Soaking Phenomenon
● When an aircraft goes from a warm location to a cold location, like when climbing to altitude, then from this cold location back to a warm location, like when descending, condensation and ice may build-up on the aircraft’s skin
In-Flight Airframe Ice Contamination
● This is a serious weather hazard that will result in a loss of performance in the following areas:
➢ Ice accretions will change the shape of wings resulting in a loss of lift.
➢ Ice on propellers may result in vibration and a loss of thrust.
Landing Wheeled Aircraft on Snow Surfaces
● Light aircraft should not be landed on a surface covered in snow unless you can guarantee the safety of the surface.
● To guarantee the surface is safe you should observe from the air or call ahead.
● After a snowfall smaller airports should be very suspect.
➢ If the phrase “ltd win maint.” is on the map or in the CFS be sure to CALL AHEAD.
➢ “No win maint.” means STAY AWAY in winter
Whiteout
● This occurs over an unbroken snow cover and beneath an overcast sky where the horizon is obscured.
● Blowing snow may be an additional cause.
● A pilot operating in whiteout conditions will experience a loss of depth perception and have difficulty in judging distances due to the loss of the horizon and terrain gradients.
Mountain Flying Operations
● Flight precautions for mountain flying include some of the following:
➢ Downdrafts often occur in the shaded areas of mountains, so the aircraft should be flown on the sunny side where updrafts are more likely.
➢ The selected route should avoid topography that would prevent a safe forced landing.
➢ You should be able to complete a maximum rate minimum radius turn at all times.
➢ Remember that our aircraft’s ceiling and performance figures are all based on DENSITY ALTITUDES
Runway Numbering
● Runway numbers are based on the direction of the runway and rounded off to the nearest 10º.
● These numbers are given in relation to Magnetic North in the Southern Domestic Airspace (SDA) and True North in Northern Domestic Airspace (NDA)
Wheelbarrowing
● Occurs when the aircraft has excess airspeed at touchdown with a nose DOWN attitude, or taxiing too fast, resulting in surplus lift keeping the main landing gear off the runway.
● Wheelbarrowing on landing may be encountered by a nose wheel aeroplane if excessive airspeed results in touching down in a nose low attitude.
➢ When this happens all of the aircraft’s weight is concentrated on the nose wheel.
● To prevent wheelbarrowing
➢ Ensure the proper speed on final and apply proper back pressure in the flare.
➢ During take-off, ‘wheelbarrowing’ can occur at lower speeds than during the landing run. This is due to slipstream increasing the lifting power of the horizontal stabilizer
Porpoising
● This is a condition where the aircraft is bouncing off the main wheels and then the nose wheel or tail wheel.
● Porpoising can eliminated by applying back pressure to establish the normal landing attitude.
Hydroplaning
● This occurs when the aircraft’s wheels skim along the surface of the water on a wet runway surface.
● Hydroplaning is a function of the water’s depth, the tire pressure, and the ground speed.
● Landing distances can be increased by up to 700% when a tire hydroplanes
Effects of Wind / Wind Shear
● During takeoff, in areas of strong shear, the aircraft may encounter an area of strong increase performance wind shear as a headwind is entered, followed by a sudden decrease performance wind shear as a downdraft and tailwind are Encountered
● The best defense against encountering wind shear is to avoid it by using PIREPs and SIGMETs
Increase Performance Shear
● referred to as Decreasing Tailwind Shears, and Increasing Headwind Shears. any one of a rapidly increasing headwind component, a rapidly decreasing tailwind component. An increasing performance shear causes an immediate increase in the velocity of the airflow across the aircraft surfaces resulting in an increase in IAS, and an increase in lift. This, in turn, causes the aircraft to climb above the intended glidepath.
● Power will have to be initially reduced, then increased to a higher setting than before the shear was encountered to maintain a constant airspeed and approach angle
Bird Avoidance
● Use of landing lights during takeoff and landing phase will contribute to fewer bird strikes.
● Don’t fly below a flock of birds, when they sense danger their instinct is to dive.
➢ Climb over an approaching flock of birds.
● You must fill out a Bird/Wildlife strike report for all encounters
