insurance - Pilatus Owners and Pilots Association

THE IMPORTANCE OF BOOKKEEPING
P I L AT U S O W N E R S A N D P I L O T S A S S O C I AT I O N
SUMMER 2012
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THUMB
W I N T E R
2 0 1 2
P OPA
M AG A Z I N E
1
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CONTENTS
PILATUS OWNERS AND PILOTS ASSOCIATION
•
SUMMER 2012
•
VOLUME 15, ISSUE 2
8
15
22
38
DEPARTMENTS
6
FROM THE PRESIDENT
8
NEW & NOTABLE
12
ONBOARD LADIES CORNER
34
WEEKENDERS
Travel Hot Spots
44
ASK LANCE TOLAND
Looking at the history and the future of the PC-12.
BY LANCE TOLAND
46
MIPAD
Professional charts for the iPad Jepp TC and FD.
BY JOHN D. RULEY
48
SECRET SPOTS
CarriEarl Boutique Hotel
BY JOHN D. RULEY
50
WHERE THE WORDS CAME FROM
We use words that may sound funny to an outsider.
Some of the words even sound funny to us!
BY LYN FREEMAN
54
MAKE IT AND TAKE IT
Celebrity recipes to make and take with you.
WOLFGANG PUCK
FEATURES
15
IT’S ALL IN YOUR APPROACH
Here’s a look backward and forward at one of the most
critical phases of flight.
BY JOHN MORRIS
18
STICK AND RUDDER
BY DOUG ROZENDAAL
22
PRESSURE POINTS
An airline pilot gives good advice on handling
cabin decompression.
BY KEVIN GARRISON
26
ALL THIS EXTRA STUFF – WHAT GOOD IS IT?
BY JEFF RHODES
30
NEW TAX CASE HOLDS KEY FOR
AIRCRAFT RECORDKEEPING
Making a business flight is not a deduction unless you
document it in specific ways.
BY JONATHAN LEVY, ESQ.
38
TEN RULES OF THUMB
If you can’t remember the important numbers in your POH,
here are a few simple rules to help make intelligent estimates.
BY BILL COX
From the President
D
During a planning retreat last August, your board and advisors developed a five-year
plan with three objectives: Strengthen education and connectivity to members, enhance
communication to members and increase membership. Over the past eight months,
many improvements have been put in place: POPA has a new professional look to its
magazine starting with the Winter 2012 issue, new member benefits starting with a
POPA customized UVAir fuel discount card, a new and enhanced interactive web site
by year end, a new motto, “POPA … We Elevate the Pilatus Experience,” a new logo and
a new marketing person charged with raising POPA’s visibility. We have also instituted
a member’s ballot for the annual voting of board members that you should have already
received by mail or email. Please vote before the convention so we can have a quorum
which will allow us to announce election results Friday morning, June 8.
POPA’s
16th Annual
Convention
on June 8 and
9 in Sarasota,
Fla., will be
full of valuable content.
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A critical objective for POPA is providing an education-rich convention. POPA’s 16th Annual Convention
on June 8 and 9 in Sarasota, Fla., will be full of valuable
content. We have a number of practical presentations
covering effective procedures for more safely flying as
PIC and for better understanding weather anomalies.
The annual updates by Pilatus Business Aircraft and
mainstream suppliers remain important to our agenda.
Considerable planning has gone into the Legacy Safety
and Performance Upgrades presentation that will take
a fresh look at how one can fully enhance the legacy
PC-12. Spouse events, a live auction and the opportunity
for personal networking fill out the gathering. Record
sponsorship, sold-out vendor space and a sold-out hotel
all bode well for another successful convention.
An important factor for determining the potential
for superior aircraft support is the financial health of
its manufacturer. Pilatus Aircraft Ltd.’s 2011 annual
report, available on its web site, reported very strong
performance. In the trying economic times over the past
four years, Pilatus Aircraft Ltd.’s sales have increased 19
percent and profitability has increased from 9.0 percent
to 13.8 percent. Impressively, during this period of rising profitability, annual R&D increased from 27 CHF
million to 67 CHF million, cash flow increased from 67
SUMMER
2012
CHF million to 123 CHF million and equity increased
from 302 CHF million to 546 CHF million. Pilatus Aircraft Ltd. has been effectively managed with the ability
to focus on critical priorities that benefit its customers
while not being distracted with survival as have other
aircraft manufacturers who are now struggling with
bankruptcy.
On a sad note, I regret to inform you that Roger
Block, a POPA board member from 1998 to 2003 and
POPA president for the 2002-2003 year, passed away
unexpectedly on April 15 at his home in Reno, Nev.
Roger had many philanthropic pursuits, was an avid PC12 pilot and was a major contributor to POPA’s midlife
years. His enthusiasm and stewardship will be missed.
We fly an extraordinary aircraft and have a superb
member organization. Your support is invaluable.
Your executive director, other board members and I
look forward to seeing many of you at this year’s June
convention where we plan to again collectively move our
mission forward.
“POPA … We Elevate the Pilatus Experience”
P I L AT U S O W N E R S A N D P I L O T S A S S O C I AT I O N
SUMMER 2012 VOLUME 15/ NUMBER 2
POPA BOARD
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Laura Mason
Phone: 520.299.7485
Fax: 520.844.6161 Cell: 520.907.6976
[email protected]
PRESIDENT
Pete Welles
VICE PRESIDENT
Joe Howley
SECRETARY/TREASURER
Brian Cleary
BOARD MEMBERS
Jack Long
Dan Muller
BOARD ADVISORS
Ty Carter
Bob MacLean
Phil Winters
Piotr “Pete” Wolak
AJ PUBLICATIONS STAFF
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Lyn Freeman
MANAGING EDITOR
Michelle Carter
SENIOR EDITOR
Bill Cox
ASSOCIATE EDITOR
Hans Lubke
EDITORIAL ASSISTANTS
William Henrys
CONTRIBUTING EDITORS
Nina Harris, Paul Simington, Katrina Bradelaw,
Paul Sanchez, Wayne Rash Jr.
ART DIRECTOR
Robbie Destocki
PHOTOGRAPHY
Paul Bowen, Mary Schwinn,
James Lawrence, Lyn Freeman, Jodi Butler,
Gregory L. Harris
PUBLISHER
Thierry Pouille
ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER
Sophie Pouille
PRODUCTION MANAGER, U.S.
Guillaume Fabry
ADVERTISING SALES
Thierry Pouille, +1 561.452.1225
AD SALES COORDINATOR
Anais Pouille, 1+ 561.841.1551
CORPORATE OFFICES
1931 Commerce Lane, Suite 5
Jupiter, Florida 33458
Telephone: (561) 841-1551 Fax: (954) 252-3935
FOR SUBSCRIPTIONS,
REPRINTS, BACK ISSUES
please log onto www.PilatusOwners.org
CONTACT THE EDITOR:
[email protected]
CONTACT THE PUBLISHER:
[email protected]
©2012 Pilatus Owners and Pilots Magazine is published quarterly.
All rights reserved. Reproduction in any form without written
permission from the publisher is prohibited.
Please send comments to the attention of the publisher.
PRINTED IN THE USA.
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New Products
A POINT OF VIEW
TO POINT AND VIEW
If you’re like most people, the bulk of your photographs will end up on your
iPhone, despite the fact most of have a high quality conventional camera
packed away in a suitcase. Try the new iPhone Lens Dial and watch your pictures get exponentially better. You get three optical-quality coated lenses — a
wide angle, a fisheye and a telephoto. The glass comes wrapped in a slim
aircraft-grade aluminum jacket which has two built-in tripod mounts for both
portrait and landscape configurations. Grab the wheel and dial in your best
photo! Learn more from photojojo.com/store.
PIN THE TAIL ON YOUR PET
If you catch yourself worrying about the disposition of
your dog or cat while you are traveling, consider the
new Tagg Pet Tracker. Attach a small device to your
pet’s collar and, voila, your smartphone gets a
text message when your animal is on the prowl,
complete with a map of your dog or cat’s exact
location. The Tagg Pet Tracker is designed to
withstand all the running, jumping or swimming your pet can generate. The device
costs about a hundred bucks, a real bargain
if you worry about your pet while you’re
away. Get more information at Tagg.com.
Make Everyone Else Happy
YOU may have an “eight hours bottle-to-throttle” rule,
but the rest of the folks onboard don’t. Stacked Wines
of California has an ingenious method of bringing
wine aboard. Serve ‘em, store ‘em, you’ve got high quality wine for your passengers. Each “bottle” is composed
of four stacked glasses. Currently, the company sells a
Chardonnay and a Merlot, but more offerings are on
the way. See what we mean at StackedWines.com.
The Two-Inch GPS
As digital devices have become more common in the
cockpit, you’ve no doubt seen pilots using Dual Electronics Corp.’s small orange Bluetooth GPS receiver for
virtually any gizmo or app than requires a GPS. Good
news. Now there’s an improved version of the smart
little GPS receiver, the XGPS150A. The new 2-inchsquare GPS has a nonslip pad that holds the
device securely on your
airplane’s glare shield
and is rated to perform
up to 59,000 feet and
1,000 knots. Plug it into
your aircraft’s cigarette
lighter and connect to
your iPad/iPod from a
distance of up to 30 feet
away. Find a complete list
of authorized resellers at
XGPS150.DualAv.com
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SUMMER
2012
free.
Free at last. Free from the drudgeries of
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Come fly the PC-12 NG
at a dealer near you
Call 800.745.2887
or visit PC-12RightNow.com
SEE AROUND
THE WORLD
If there’s something in your life that you’d like to
keep your eye on, anything from your curious kid
to the your Maserati’s manifold, put them in the
VueZone. This new miniature wireless camera can
be positioned just about anywhere, inside or out,
to stream live, real-time video to your smart phone,
both Android and iPhone. The VueZone camera is
battery-powered and made to take a beating. Complete information is available at www.vuezone.com.
Big Screen TV for Every Passenger
Tired of getting flack from the cheap seats? Give your backseat passengers the Moverio from Epson. This see-through, wearable micro-projection technology allows them to watch any “in-flight entertainment” you
want to offer, including movies, books, music, games, photos and more.
These glasses give the viewer an 80-inch perceived screen virtually anywhere, anytime. Complete information is available at Epson.com.
Lady’s Watches
Are Here
Jackie, an elegant chronograph
timer with a Sunset Pink genuine
mother-of-pearl face and 64 twinkling
cubic zirconia rivets (real diamonds
also available) on a classic stainless
steel case with rotating bezel. Stainless steel seatbelt with one point
harness. Contact The Abingdon Co.
310.736.5673 or see more watches
online at TheAbingdonCo.com.
DROP THE CHARGES INTO
EVERY FLIGHT BAG
Pilots have plenty of batteries to keep charged these days, from iPads to smartphones to
portable ADS-B receivers. Many of these gadgets require special high amp charging devices, and Sporty’s now offers a complete selection of pilot-tested gear to meet these needs.
The Dual 2.1 Amp Cigarette Lighter Adapter plugs into any cockpit power plug (12 or
24V) and provides two high amp USB ports. It’s ideal for charging an iPad and Stratus
at the same time, and its universal design means it will work with almost any aircraft and
any electronic device with a USB charging cable. Get the 411 at Sportys.com.
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Q&A
By Ted Otto
WINTER 2012 QUESTIONS
Question #3: When is recommended that we use anti-ice additive for fuel?
Question #1: What is the proper method of boot de-ice care?
Question #3 Answer: Operating in ambient temperatures
less than 0 degrees Celsius without adding anti-icing additives can lead to ice in the fuel system that may block the
delivery lines and components in the fuel system.
Question #1 Answer: Boots should be washed with a mild
soap–and-water solution, rinsed with clean water and serviced on a regular basis in accordance with the instructions
in the aircraft maintenance manual.
Question #2: Will operation of the rudder trim disengage the
autopilot?
Question #2 Answer: Activation of rudder trim in the
legacy PC-12 will not disconnect the autopilot; however, it
will disconnect in the N.G.
Question #4: What is the maximum altitude that we may attempt an air restart?
Question #4 Answer: Air restart cannot be conducted above
20,000 feet, and airspeed must be at least 160 knots.
SUMMER 2012 QUESTIONS
1. What is the dynamic speed bug?
2. When does the oil quantity CAWS of CAS warning come on?
3. What is the Max demonstrated X-wind for take off and landing?
4. What are the landing distance factors for landing with less than 40 degrees of flaps?
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OnBoard
LADIES CORNER
ENSURE A COMFORTABLE FLIGHT WITH THESE GREAT FINDS!
Wondering what to read next?
Join goodreads to see what
your friends are reading and
recommending! goodreads.com
Feeling cramped in the back? Send
those bulky items
ahead of time so you
have all the space you
need for a comfy ride!
LuggageForward.com
Tune out the airplane
noise with these Bose
noise-cancelling headphones. Bose.com
Wake up with a crick
in your neck after an
in-flight nap? Personalize it with your tail
number!
ThePillowBar.com
Ease of mind for you and the
pilot when you weigh your
baggage with this portable
“you weigh luggage scale.”
Flight001.com
Cozy up with a
Sofia cashmere
blanket.
Horchow.com
SUGGESTED APPLICATIONS:
downloadable from the App Store
Be stylish and comfortable with these Del Toro
slippers. DelToroShoes.com
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Words With
Friends Try to
beat friends in
this back and
forth game of
words.
FastCustomer
Hate waiting on
hold for customer service?
They will call you
when the wait is
over.
Star Chart
A virtual star chart in
your pocket. Simply
point to the sky and
start gazing.
P I L O T
T A L K
IT’S ALL
IN YOUR
APPROACH
HERE’S A LOOK BACKWARD AND FORWARD AT ONE OF
THE MOST CRITICAL PHASES OF FLIGHT. By John Morris
You think you know what’s out there, but there’s always something new
or unknown or something with insufficient information, as in this case,
with the ongoing evolution of Next Generation navigation/approaches.
I recently was training with a client in a PC-12 NG when we encountered
an RNAV (GPS) LP minimums approach, which neither of us had seen or
heard of before. During the training, we also discussed the ability to fly an
RNP approach, which can be done using any PC-12 but with restrictions.
Some investigating was in order to increase my understanding of these subjects and share my findings.
I will start with a short, nostalgic look back at the
evolution of post VOR-only enroute navigation to
the present and future.
Enroute
Navigation
Year Civil
approved
Year
Ended
Omega
1978
RNAV*
1975
Evolved
Loran-C
1988
2010
GPS
1994
RNAV-WAAS /
GNSS
2003
GNSS: Global Navigation Satellite System
* AREA NAV (RNAV) DEFINITION: A method of
navigation which permits aircraft operation on any
desired flight path within the coverage of groundor space-based navigation aids or within the limits
of the capability of self-contained aids — or a
combination of these.
Since 2006, the FAA has implemented RNAV
1 protocol (1 NM maximum error for 95 percent
of total flight time) for published RNAV standard
instrument departures (SIDs) or departure procedures (DPs) that include obstacle avoidance and
RNAV standard terminal arrivals. For RNAV routes
that are ground-sensor limited (e.g., Q, T and
Alaska), the RNAV 2 protocol (2 NM maximum error for 95 percent of total flight time) is used. These
procedures basically require a minimum ability
of the pilot to have Aircraft-Based Augmentation
System information available for position accuracy
along with the navigation equipment meeting the
required standards for RNAV enroute. Or with
WAAS RNAV, the pilot must confirm, before the
flight only (not required while enroute), that no
area of the flight will be out of coverage. Beats the
RNAV (VOR) version of the ‘70s!
Approaches have made significant advancements
since the first GPS/Overlays in 1994.
Below is a table showing current RNAV (GPS or
RNP)-based approaches:
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It’s All In Your Approach
Type of
approach
Vertical
Guidance
Ground Navaid or GPS
Overlay
NO
RNAV (GPS) - A, B, C
Circling only
NO
RNAV (GPS) - X, Y, Z
Straight-in
NO
RNAV (GPS) …LNAV
With/With out WAAS/GNSS
Straight-in
YES
RNAV (GPS) ...LNAV/VNAV
WAAS/GNSS
Straight-in
YES
RNAV (GPS) …LP
WAAS/GNSS
Straight-in
NO
RNAV (GPS) …Circling
WAAS/GNSS
Straight-in
If
Applicable
RNAV (RNP) - X, Y, Z
WAAS/GNSS [0.10 to 0.30]
Straight-in
YES
Facility
Note: All the above Instrument Approach Procedures are non-precision.
WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN AN LNAV
AND THE ORIGINAL GPS APPROACH?
The answer is no difference except, to simplify the approach terminology, the FAA changed the names of/added lines of minimums
to the approach plates. Looking at the lines of minimums at the
bottom of any RNAV (GPS) approach plate will let you know what
is available as to approach type and minimums.
The difference between an LNAV/VNAV and an LPV is that (at
FAF) the maximum horizontal position error for an LNAV/VNAV
is 0.3 nm (556 meters) while an LPV is 40 meters. Both have vertical
guidance and maximum vertical position errors of 50 meters. Due
to the horizontal difference, the minimums for an LPV is generally
lower, near ILS minimums. To signify the difference in minimums,
an LPV minimum altitude is called decision altitude (DA) with
the barometer based on the highest point of the first 3,000 feet of
runway; an LNAV/VNAV minimum is a minimum descent altitude
(MDA).
WHAT THEN IS AN LP?
The first LP approach was published in January 2011. It uses the
horizontal criteria of an LPV but without vertical guidance and an
MDA (usually closer to the LPV minimums than an LNAV minimum) instead of a DA. This type approach is published based on the
airport environment meeting standard approach requirements but
having obstacles or other local issues not allowing an LPV.
WHAT IS RNP?
Required Navigation Performance with the definition modified for
approach only: navigational performance required to maintain flight
within the OEA associated with instrument procedure segments by
use of RNAV with on-board navigation monitoring and alerting.
RNP approaches are more about precise lateral control than vertical. The descent from FAF uses Baro-VNAV information, which in
most cases the associated DA is higher than an LPV. However, the
precision tracking of the paths to the FAF with occasional sharp
turns, curves or a parallel runway, demand aircraft navigation
equipment/displays and require pilots to receive specialized training
and FAA authorization. These are noted in the minimums section
of an RNP approach chart as Authorization Required. The qualification process for pilots is very similar to CAT II/III ILS requirements.
What also makes a RNP approach different is the requirement for
a total lateral/along track system error of ± 1 NM for at least 95 percent of the total flight time. When on the final approach segment,
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the total error is a maximum of ± 0.3 nm (down to 0.10 nm) for at
least 95 percent of the total flight. The “error” is called the estimate
of position uncertainty (EPU) and is measured from the aircraft’s
95 percent position. The pilot’s primary flight display must indicate
the current RNP level and EPU in NM. The RNP approach value includes the calculation for the missed approach since the DA may be
raised due to the OEA associated with the missed approach segment
when the RNP resumes the ±1 nm error. Circling approaches are
not planned since one premise of an RNP approach is close quarters
to terrain throughout the approach to the touchdown and/or missed
approach.
So, can the PC-12 perform all the approaches listed in this article?
Yes, all legacy PC-12 aircraft can currently perform them all except
for the RNPs. This is based on the assumption that the aircraft has
the currently available/approved equipment installed. I understand
that, in the near future, the approved displays and navigation equipment to perform the RNP approaches will be made available. Currently the PC-12 NG is approved for RNP 0.30 nm approaches. But
as stated earlier, it probably would require additional FAA authorization, depending on the RNP approach, in order to execute one in
any of the properly equipped PC-12 aircraft.
FYI:
As of February 2012
• Number of US ILS approaches 2,100 (including military)
• Number of US LPV approaches 2,272
• Number of US RNP approaches 291 (airports)
John Morris of ACFT Services was with Simcom Training Centers-Orlando for 14 years.
He started teaching the PC-12 in 1999 and served as PC-12 program coordinator from
2000-07 when he started ACFT Services (ACFTServices.com) which provides training
exclusively for all PC-12s.
Which of these would you prefer?
Every time you use your aircraft, you are reminded that fuel is your highest variable
operating cost. Do you feel you are getting the price you deserve? Don’t you deserve
more than just posted rates?
Working closely with POPA, we have developed a program that offers its members
exclusive benefits that include guaranteed special pricing with no minimal uplifts,
card fees, or admin fees on third-party charges in the U.S. As a member, you will have
24/7 access to expert assistance, fuel estimates worldwide, and discounts on other trip
support services offered by Universal Weather and Aviation, Inc.
Start getting MORE today! Call or go online to apply: uvair.com/popa.
Worldwide (713) 378-2708
„
N. America (866) 864-8404
„
uvair.com
STICK
AND
RUDDER
By Doug Rozendaal
The words “stick and rudder” take us back to the time when the book by the
same name was written by Wolfgang Langewiesche. The book was first published in 1944 and, as the war wound to an end, thousands of military surplus
aviators came home as heroes. We called them Aviators. They were artists in
the sky and, with their airplanes, they had won the war. Flying was cool.
This created a hot market for the thousands of new Cubs, Champs,
Chiefs, Taylorcrafts and two-seat Cessnas and for Langewiesche’s book.
All these airplanes had tail wheels, most of them had sticks, and the pilots
who flew them were either trained by the military or by military instruc-
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tors. The lessons learned flying the less-than-forgiving fighters, bombers
and transports of WWII drove the focus on the basics of aircraft control
— in short, the art of stick-and-rudder flying.
Fast forward 65 years and nose-draggers have made landing as simple
as driving onto the runway. GPS has made navigation as easy as looking
a moving map. Synthetic vision has made instrument flying as simple as
VMC, and our autopilots will save the day with the push of a button. The
focus of flying has moved from the art of stick-and-rudder skills of the
‘40s to flight management in the 21st Century. What has not changed is
that airplanes still fly because air moves across curved surfaces and generates lift. Then and now, we call this seemingly dying breed of artists, who
understand and exploit this simple truth, Aviators.
Art can be enjoyed by participating actively or by observation. Like art,
some is good, some is less than good, and some is terrible. To become better requires practice and critique as well as observation and consideration
of the work of others.
Spend a few hours watching the traffic at a busy General Aviation airport
and observe. Watch the crowd and try to pick out an Aviator. Unfortunately there are very few. You will notice they walk to the airplane mindful
of all that is around. The walk-around is organized and deliberate. No effort
is made to disassemble the airplane, yet no important detail is missed.
Aviators start turbine engines pointed into the wind. When able, they
pick their parking spot in full knowledge that the approaching cold
front overnight will bring northwest winds for departure tomorrow.
If the winds are blowing up the tailpipe, or the area is congested and
high power will be needed for taxi, an Aviator will arrange to move the
airplane before start.
Aviators taxi at reasonable speeds, on the yellow stripe, and with the
controls deflected for the winds, even when they’re light, because it is an
unconscious habit, not an effort. An Aviator turns into the wind on run-up
because quartering tailwinds cause uneven air loads and unpleasant, if not
damaging, vibrations when power is applied.
Watch them take the runway. How smoothly, yet swiftly the power
comes up without the snarl that comes when someone slams in the
throttle and the governor grabs the propeller. Watch the nose rise slowly
and precisely to the desired pitch attitude that causes the airplane to lift
effortlessly from the asphalt. Compare this to the pilots that yank back
on the yoke and over-rotate and then push forward as the airplane settles
precariously earthward as the gear is retracting.
Also notice that the Aviator lifts off the runway with the downwind
wheel first and turns effortlessly into the crab angle required to track true
down the centerline and a pitch angle that yields the best climb rate without
adjustment. Watch the others that lurch into the air and drift downwind, or
lift off and continue in a slip, killing the precious lift with crossed controls.
Look over your shoulder to the downwind leg and listen as the power is
smoothly reduced and the gear falls from the wells, precisely at mid-field,
and the nose drops to offset the lift created by the flaps extending. Notice
that the altitude never varies perceptibly, and the additional drag of the
gear and flaps creates a constant descent rate that continues, uninterrupted, to the touchdown point. Listen carefully for the power change
that never comes because the Aviator uses flaps, as needed, to maintain a
constant airspeed and glide path to a landing.
Watch others in the pattern that overshoot final, then bank and pull, or
push on the rudder and skid the airplane around the corner. Notice how
your breathing stops when someone combines steep bank, high load factor and a skidding turn that could snap the airplane into a spin that ends
in a flaming pile of wreckage off the end of the runway.
Watch as the Aviator, only slightly before touchdown, lowers the upwind
wing and simultaneously aligns the nose precisely with the center line and,
then, fully closes the throttle just before the upwind tire touches the pavement precisely on the fixed distance markers. Cherish the few milliseconds
from when the first tire touches until the downwind wing relinquishes its lift
and lets the other tire touch.
Precious are the several seconds when the down force of the tail holds
the nose-wheel high. Watch how the aviator eases the nose down to an inch
above the earth just before the air separates from the upward deflected elevator and lets the nose tire kiss the pavement.
Even more impressive and subtle is that the nose wheel is aligned with
the runway because the downwind aileron is dragging the downwind
wing back, allowing the Aviator to ease off the rudder deflection. Guiding
the airplane by rudder alone points the nose wheel downwind on touchdown. The airplane would have tried to turn until the pressure on the tire
overcame the steering springs in a short but needless battle to align itself
with the runway.
If our Aviator is flying a turbine airplane, the transition from positive
pitch to beta is a soft one. The remaining runway is used liberally, and
reverse power sparingly, as the airplane decelerates to a turn-off at taxi
speed without side-loading the landing gear or the passengers.
Watch the long-landers, the reverse thrust and brake abusers. See the
cloud of dust and debris that chews up the first turbine wheel and propeller. Smell the acrid scent of brake discs burning when pilots taxi with their
toes on the brakes instead of heels on the floor.
The point of watching others fly is to provide a yardstick to measure our
own skill set. Do we strive on every flight to be an Aviator, or are we satisfied
with simply being a pilot? After all does it really matter if we rotate smoothly?
Who cares if the ball is always perfectly in the center? Why should every
power change after take-off be a reduction? Why should we try to fly the pattern without a perceptible pitch or power change? Does it really matter if the
airplane is perfectly aligned with the centerline when the tires touch?
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Stick and Rudder
For the Aviator,
every aspect of flying is
deliberate and appears
effortless. Aside from the
pride that comes from
being the master of the
machine, flying precisely
makes a difference.
All of it matters. For the Aviator, every
aspect of flying is deliberate and appears
effortless. Aside from the pride that comes
from being the master of the machine, flying
precisely makes a difference. Whether it’s
an ILS approach or a crosswind landing,
small corrections made sooner are not only
smoother but safer than big corrections made
after large excursions.
Sometimes excursions are forced by a circumstance outside our control. It might be a
failed fuel controller that necessitates a strong
crosswind landing on a short runway, while
managing the engine on the emergency fuel
cock. Maybe it’s a wake turbulence encounter that stands the airplane
up on a wingtip at low airspeed and altitude. No amount of technology
installed in the panel will save the day. What will make the difference
between a brief, exciting moment and an accident is the Aviator’s ability
to extract smoothly and deliberately the last pound of lift from the wing
— and not one ounce more.
So, on the next trip, try to fly the perfect flight. Look in the mirror
and measure the flight against the yardstick of an Aviator. Maybe go
flying just for fun and practice. Spend some time at the ragged edge of a
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stall and learn the language that the airplane
speaks in this regime that we so seldom visit.
Make it a personal challenge to weld the ball
in the center and never let it wander. Learn to
sense the energy state of the airplane, and use
flaps and pattern geometry to replace power
changes. In every regime, visualize a smooth
and uninterrupted line in the sky that leads
from the present position to the next point on
the journey and follow that line.
Ultimately, the line leads to the upwind
tire smoothly touching down on the fixed
distance markers with the nose wheel in the
air, over the centerline and pointed down
the runway. Practice it until it becomes effortless.
This characterizes the journey from Pilot to Aviator, an initial effort
that makes an action or reaction smooth and deliberate and effortless.
As the painter uses light to turn a drawing into a work of art, Aviators
understand precisely how the air flows over the curved surface and creates lift and exploit that knowledge to make art with their airplane.
Sixty years ago Aviators were heroes. Spend a day at the airport, and
one could conclude that skills that identify an Aviator have lost their
luster. Maybe it’s time for a Renaissance.
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HANDLING CABIN DECOMPRESSION
PRESSURE
POINTS
F
AN AIRLINE PILOT GIVES GOOD ADVICE ON HANDLING
CABIN DECOMPRESSION. Q By Kevin Garrison
lying at high altitude in the comfort and warmth
of a pressurized low-altitude cabin is a winning
situation for any pilot in any airplane. The aircraft
benefits from the higher altitude in terms of fuel
flow, better true airspeeds and, sometimes, better
weather. We humans benefit from a pressurized
cabin because our bodies are not designed for lowoxygen, low-pressure environments.
If you happen to be an avid reader of NTSB reports, you probably have noticed that a lot of aircraft accidents caused by fuel
exhaustion happen because inexperienced pilots fly their newly
acquired turboprop and turbocharged aircraft at low altitudes
and expect the same fuel burn the aircraft salesman promised
them for the flight levels. (The second thing you may notice if
you read a lot of NTSB reports is that you need to get a life and
get out more.)
Most things about pressurized flight and pressurization systems
are familiar to you by now. The training you took in your specific
aircraft has prepared you very well for normal and non-normal ops
in your bird. You are already a smooth operator with that rate knob
and other nuances of your system.
I’ve flown pressurized aircraft for most of my flying life, which
means nothing to you except that I may have seen a few things during the years that you haven’t yet. For example, that whistling noise
next to your left year when you fly pressurized: Is that normal?
Sure it is. Even the most sophisticated aircraft have little air leaks
here and there, and they are more annoying than dangerous. It is
rare to find an airliner or a turboprop aircraft that’s used a lot that
doesn’t have a little wad of paper or gum tucked into a corner of a
window frame to quiet those little whistles.
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Pressure Points
HANDLING CABIN DECOMPRESSION
A cockpit window that is closed and latched can still cause you some
angst. If it is not completely sealed to the frame, it can make a loud hissing or whistling sound. When the pressure differential gets large enough
to push the window into a seated position, it can result in a loud slamming or banging noise.
This will scare the willies out of you, even when you are expecting it.
If you are flying with somebody else when this happens, the best way to
handle your startled reaction is to laugh and tell the other person you
“expected that.” Don’t worry too much about this because your partner
will no doubt be trying to control his or her heart rate too.
In the aircraft you are flying, this pressure-seating problem can also happen at the door. Again, it is not a problem, more of an annoyance.
Door latches and pressurization seals vary among aircraft, but all carry
out the same functions of holding the door closed and holding the pressurized air in. Some of the doors on aircraft that are high time or highly
used have large enough gaps in the seals that your passengers can see a
little sliver of daylight through them. This is obviously something you
should have your maintenance professional look into and fix as soon as
possible, but in flight, it really isn’t a dangerous condition.
The immediate fix that pilots always seem to choose for this sliver of
daylight problem is to stuff something like a blanket into the crack. Not a
bad idea, because it reduces noise and calms your passengers. Have a care
though. One night when I flew the ancient DC-8, we lost four blankets
through the aft door.
Nevertheless, there are times when you might hear a ‘bang’ in pressurized flight. Windshields and windows can sometimes crack and,
when they do, it can be noisy. Windshields on pressurized aircraft
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are multi-layered and heated, and I have never heard of a windshield
totally disappearing when it cracks in flight. Normally, the inner pane
cracks because of windshield heat problems. Your POH has a procedure to follow if this happens but, as a rule of thumb, if you are worried
about the integrity of a pressurized component of your airplane like the
windshield, the best thing to do is reduce the pressure on it by descending to a lower altitude with its lower cabin pressure differential.
Hollywood comes into our conversation at this point. We have all
seen television shows or movies where someone shoots a gun at a window in a pressurized aircraft. The wind howls, the people scream, and
usually the bad guy is sucked right out the window. Makes you kind of
wonder why they allow armed sky marshals on airliners, doesn’t it?
If a gun is fired, the bullet would most likely embed itself in the window. If it did manage to shatter the window, it might cause a brief wind
howling noise and your passengers might scream, but nobody — bad or
good — is going to get sucked out the window. The airplane is certainly
not headed for a nosedive or a crash like in the movies, and you are not
going to keel over your control column. Personally, I would be more
worried about the actor with the gun than the airplane at this point.
Losing a window could cause a rapid decompression but, even in the
smaller pressurized cabins of our aircraft, an explosive decompression is
very unlikely.
During your training in your pressurized aircraft (or more likely in
its simulator), you completed the emergency descent procedure. You
know: oxygen mask on, power back, prop forward, gear down, etc. You
then pushed the aircraft over in a dive at the emergency descent airspeed to a lower, more oxygen-rich altitude, and the exercise was over.
That is fine for training, passing check rides and such, but I would like
to suggest a better way to handle a decompression in your aircraft.
The only emergency initial action item really required when your
aircraft decompresses at altitude is to get your oxygen mask on and
ensure that it is working. Once you figure this out, look over to your
right-seater and then back to the cabin to make sure that everybody else
has his or her oxygen mask on.
There, you are done.
The emergency part of your day is over. You and your passengers are
breathing. There is nothing wrong with your airplane other than the
fact that it is no longer pressurized.
Take a deep breath of that oxygen you bought and paid for.
Now, start working on the descent. Start slowing and configuring
the aircraft and call ATC while you do this. If you are high enough
to worry about a decompression, that means that you are in Class A
airspace and are operating on an IFR clearance. You don’t want to go
barreling down through the flight levels with all that traffic below you
without at least giving ATC a heads-up. They will probably suggest a
turn off-course and start clearing traffic below you.
Declare an emergency and then start your descent. A rapid rate of
descent is fine, but remember that, without pressurization, your — and
your passengers’ — ears and sinuses are facing the real world. A very
high rate of descent will really feel like a very high rate of descent. No
need to make people’s ears bleed. They are okay, remember? They are
on that oxygen you bought them.
I am not saying that a loss of pressurization isn’t something to be
concerned about and handled quickly. I am suggesting that diving
through the crowded flight levels with an aircraft full of people who are
breathing just fine may not be the best way to handle this.
There is no regulatory requirement to take the altitude-chamber
training, but in my opinion, if you haven’t, you should. It is fun and will
make you a safer pilot.
Flying the flight levels is one of the reasons you bought and operate
your aircraft. The pressurization system in it is so efficient and easy to
use that you usually don’t have to give it a second thought.
Unless you hear that whistle.
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INSURANCE EXPANTION COVERAGES
ALL THIS EXTRA STUFF:
WHAT
GOOD
IS IT?
By Jeff Rhodes
As you may know, many of my articles begin with questions I’ve been asked recently.
This one is no different, and the question “What good is it?” deserves a good answer.
We all know the basics of how insurance works. We all know what “hull coverage” is and that “liability coverage” protects us if we are sued for hurting someone
or damaging someone’s property. But many of our insurance polices offer a host
of other coverages. Often called “expantion coverages,” these additional items are
sometimes endorsed to a basic policy to broaden it or can be contained within a
broad form policy without endorsement. In many cases, these coverages enhance
or expand coverage that wouldn’t ordinarily be available to an aircraft owner carrying hull and liability coverage alone. In other cases, though, they limit the amount
of coverage that the policy provides for what might normally be covered otherwise.
Let’s look at some definitions of coverages typically offered in addition to the “plain
jane” hull and liability coverages. The following are summaries. As always, read
YOUR policy and become familiar with its particular terms and conditions.
AIRCRAFT RETRIEVAL
(OFF-AIRPORT LANDING)
Suppose an aircraft experiences an in-flight emergency requiring an immediate landing. The pilot
does a perfect landing on an available interstate
highway, and there is no damage to the aircraft.
This may require that the aircraft be dismantled,
loaded on a truck, and hauled to the nearest
airport for reassembly. There has been no covered
loss, since the aircraft is not damaged; therefore,
a standard policy does nothing. This “expansion”
coverage states that, in such an event, the company
will pay for the related costs to disassemble, move
and reassemble the aircraft even though there has
been no damage to the aircraft.
AUTOMATIC ATTACHMENT
FOR NEWLY ACQUIRED AIRCRAFT
This provides coverage automatically when a
new aircraft is acquired, provided the insurance
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company insures all aircraft already owned and,
further provided, that the new acquisition is
reported to the company within 30 days and
any additional premium is paid.
AUTOMATIC INCREASE IN
HULL VALUE FOR MODIFICATION
With this provision, the insured value stated in
the policy automatically increases as modifications are made or equipment is added by the
amount spent, as evidenced by the insured’s
records. The insured must report the improvements to the company within a defined time period and pay any resulting additional premium.
(Prior notification is not required.)
BAGGAGE AND PERSONAL EFFECTS
Damage to these items is not covered in a
standard policy because of the “care, custody
or control” exclusion. This feature makes an
exception to the exclusion as respects damage
to personal effects of passengers. (Currency and
certain other property may not be covered.)
BROAD FORM DEFINITION OF “AIRCRAFT”
This attachment expands the definition of
“aircraft” to include equipment, such as avionics, removed from aircraft even if it has been
temporarily replaced. The temporary replacement equipment is also covered since it would
now be a part of aircraft.
BROAD FORM DEFINITION
OF “NAMED INSURED”
This expands the definition of “named insured”
to include subsidiary and parent companies
as additional named insureds if the aircraft is
financially controlled by the named insured.
CANCELLATION NOTICE
This states the number of days prior written
notice is to be given to the named insured if
the policy is cancelled at the request of the
company. Normal notice period is 30 days, but
it may be as long as 60 or 90 days.
CARGO LEGAL LIABILITY
This provision covers loss or damage to cargo,
belonging to others and carried on their behalf
by the named insured’s aircraft. This is seen
more as a contingency coverage for non-commercial risks in case the named insured should
carry cargo for a third party.
CONTRACTUAL LIABILITY
This covers liabilities of others that the named
insured assumes under contracts. Contracts
need to be submitted to the company and
additional premium, if any, paid. (It does not
require prior approval.)
COST REIMBURSEMENT
Cost reimbursement permits uses where direct
costs of operation of the aircraft are reimbursed
to the named insured.
CROSS LIABILITY
Here, liability will cover claims by one insured
against another.
DAMAGE TO HANGAR AND CONTENTS
This provision covers damage to non-owned
hangars and contents that are temporarily in the
care, custody or control of the insured (and is
otherwise excluded under the “care, custody or
control” exclusion).
DELETE PILOT REQUIREMENTS FOR
MAINTENANCE FLIGHTS
Pilots employed by an FAA-approved repair
station are automatically approved pilots for test
flights after repairs. The insurer retains the right
to recover damages from any negligent thirdparty maintenance operation.
Insurance Expantion Coverages
HANGARKEEPER’S LIABILITY
EMERGENCY COSTS
(FOAM RUNWAYS, ETC.)
This provides reimbursement to the named
insured for incurred costs of runway or aircraft
foaming and fire, crash control or rescue expenses.
EUROPEAN UNION LIABILITY
This expansion provides additional liability limits, if required, to comply with the requirements
of the European Union minimum-liability limits
for operations in the EU states. The amount
required is based on the aircraft’s gross takeoff
weight, seating capacity and purpose of use.
Additional premiums may apply.
As an “expansion coverage,” this is a contingency for a non-commercial operation. It provides
protection if an aircraft belonging to someone
else is in the care, custody or control of the insured and is damaged as a result of the insured’s
negligence. Such coverage is otherwise excluded
under the “care, custody or control” exclusion.
or imprisonment, malicious prosecution, libel,
slander, etc., arising out of aircraft operations
PREMISES LIABILITY, AIRPORT
Here liability coverage is extended to include
claims arising out of the use of airport areas by
the insured, in connection with the ownership,
operation, maintenance or use of aircraft.
HOST LIQUOR LIABILITY
PREMISES MEDICAL PAYMENTS
EXCESS AUTO LIABILITY — AIRPORT
PREMISES
LAY-UP CREDIT FOR SCHEDULED AIRCRAFT
PREMIUM INSURANCE – HULL
This provides excess liability over insured’s
automobile liability for auto claims while on
airport premises. It usually requires underlying
auto liability limit of $1 million.
This feature returns a portion of the premium
on renewal if an aircraft is withdrawn from service for other than repair of covered damages. It
normally requires a minimum lay-up period of
30-60 days and prior notice to the company.
EXTRA EXPENSE FOR SPARE-PARTS RENTAL
MECHANICS’ TOOLS
PRODUCTS LIABILITY, SALE OF AIRCRAFT, PARTS, MAINTENANCE
This addition would reimburse for costs of the
rental of temporary components that replace
those damaged in a covered physical-damage
loss, for the period of repair. It could require a
waiting period and is usually limited to a specific monetary amount and/or number of days.
EXTRA EXPENSE FOR SUBSTITUTE
AIRCRAFT
This expansion provides liability coverage for
claims arising from the serving of alcoholic
beverages on the insured aircraft or covered
airport premises.
This provides physical-damage coverage for
direct and accidental damage to or loss of mechanics’ tools. It does not cover “loss of use.”
MEXICAN LIABILITY POLICY
This is a liability policy issued by a Mexican
insurance company to meet the requirements of
the Mexican government.
This expansion provides reimbursement to the
named insured for costs of rental or lease of a
temporary replacement aircraft when the insured
aircraft is being repaired after a covered physicaldamage loss. It does not provide coverage if another aircraft is available to the insured at no cost.
It only pays that portion of such expense that exceed the costs to operate the insured aircraft if it
had not been damaged. A waiting period may be
required. Coverage is usually limited to a specific
monetary amount and/or number of days.
MOBILE EQUIPMENT LIABILITY
FELLOW EMPLOYEE EXCLUSION, DELETION OF
NON-OWNED, PHYSICAL DAMAGE TO
AIRCRAFT
Most standard policies exclude liability coverage
for a claim from an injured employee against
another employee of the same employer. The
Workers Compensation exclusion and most
state laws preclude an injured employee from
making a claim against his employer if he is
injured on the job. However, the pilot, if a fellow
employee, could be vulnerable in such an event.
Since the pilot is often a likely candidate for a
liability claim, the deletion of this standard exclusion can provide liability protection for him
that would not otherwise exist.
GUEST VOLUNTARY SETTLEMENT
GVS coverage is broadened to include weekly
indemnity and permanent and total disability.
The basic GVS coverage is only for death or
dismemberment, as defined.
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This is liability coverage regarding the use of
equipment such as tugs, APUs, etc., not subject
to motor-vehicle registration and designed
principally for use off public roads.
NON-OWNED GUEST VOLUNTARY
SETTLEMENT
This feature extends GVS to apply to the use
of a non-owned aircraft. (See Guest Voluntary
Settlement above.)
This expansion provides property-damage liability if insured’s negligence results in physical
damage to a non-owned aircraft being operated
by or in the interest of the insured.
NON-OWNED AIRCRAFT LIABILITY
This extends basic liability coverage to apply to
the use of a non-owned aircraft.
NON-OWNED AIRCRAFT MEDICAL PAYMENTS
This feature extends basic medical-payments
coverage to apply to the use of a non-owned
aircraft.
PERSONAL INJURY LIABILITY
This provides liability coverage for “personal
Injury” offenses including false arrest, detention
This feature extends medical-payments coverage
to include losses occurring on airport areas used
by the insured in connection with the ownership, operation, maintenance or use of aircraft.
Some policies require that the entire hull premium
is fully earned with respect to an aircraft on which
a total loss has been paid. This feature stipulates
that the earned hull premium, just as the liability
premium, be calculated on a pro-rata basis.
This expansion provides protection for claims
arising out of the sale of a listed aircraft, parts
or maintenance for losses that occur during the
policy period. It can cover claims from the sale
of an aircraft during a prior period, provided the
loss occurs during the current period.
PROFIT COMMISSION
With this provision, a portion of the hull premium is reimbursed, depending on the amount
of any hull loss paid, if any.
SEARCH AND RESCUE
This provides reimbursement to the insured
of expenses incurred for search-and-rescue
operations performed by or at the request of the
named insured.
SPARE PARTS AND ENGINES
This is physical-damage coverage for spare parts
and engines held in inventory for the insured
aircraft.
TRIP INTERRUPTION
Here, the expansion provides reimbursement
to the insured for reasonable expenses for food,
travel and lodging of passengers incurred from
the place where the insured aircraft suffers a
covered physical-damage loss to the intended
final destination or back to the point of origin if
the trip is cancelled.
Most of these coverages are made available to
policyholders as an enticement to buy a policy.
Special attention should be paid to the differences
between policies when it comes to expantion
coverages. Like most things when it comes to
insurance; it’s all just words on paper until something becomes an issue after a loss.
A I R C R A F T
R E C O R D K E E P I N G
NEW TAX CASE
HOLDS KEY FOR
AIRCRAFT
RECORDKEEPING
MAKING A BUSINESS FLIGHT IS NOT A DEDUCTION UNLESS YOU
DOCUMENT IT IN SPECIFIC WAYS. QBy Jonathan Levy, Esq.
“T and E and out by three” is a long-standing adage among IRS agents, reflective
of the fact that Congress has elevated the recordkeeping requirements for travel
and entertainment expenses, and auditors who are honed-in on these technicalities may be able to make quick adjustments leading to hefty tax bills. The rules
do not uniquely target aircraft. Instead, all travel deductions — regardless of the
means of transportation — are subject to enhanced documentation requirements. Nonetheless, because travel expenses of Pilatus owners will typically be
much higher than for many other taxpayers, the issue of documenting aircraft
business use takes on heightened importance. Failing to meet these technicalities
can mean disallowance of expense deductions, even if the IRS auditor genuinely
believes that the aircraft was, in fact, used for business. Fortunately, attentive
taxpayers armed with knowledge of the requirements should have no difficulty
retaining the needed records and thus avoiding this tax trap.
LYSFORD V. COMMISSIONER
A recent tax court case, Lysford v. Comm., TC Memo
2012-41, hinged on application of the recordkeeping
rules. The case involved an independent mortgage
broker who conducted his day-to-day business out
of his home but frequently also needed to travel for
business to a town 200 miles away. He was a pilot
and made these trips using a Cessna 182 belonging to a company owned by him and his wife. The
only record he kept was a spiral notebook onboard
the aircraft, where he would jot down only the date
and general destination (i.e., the city) for each flight.
Notably absent from his records was any description
or identification of customers or business contacts
he met with or any specific statement of the business
purpose of any particular trip. The taxpayer was a former airline pilot, already holding an ATP rating, who
had little or no FAA or insurance need to document
his flight-hour experience.
The tax court concluded that the taxpayer had
failed to document or substantiate any business use
of the aircraft and that, therefore, under applicable
statutes, no deductions were allowed. The court wrote
that taxpayers must “substantiate by adequate records
or by sufficient evidence corroborating the taxpayers’
own statements the amount of the expenses, the time
and place of the expenses or use of the property, and
the business purpose of the expenses.” Because the
taxpayer had not provided information of the specific
business purpose of each trip, the court felt bound by
law to reject the taxpayer’s claimed deductions, even
though it agreed that he “may have conducted some
mortgage business” at his destination.
THE TAXPAYER’S BURDEN –
KEEP GOOD RECORDS
In a judge’s decision-making as to whether a trip will
be considered business or non-business, the playing
field is not level. The taxpayer bears the burden to
produce records that meet a specification set out in
the tax code. A common, but false line of thinking
for business people before they experience an audit
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Aircraft Recordkeeping
goes as follows: “If I take a trip this year, and I file my taxes next year,
whatever audit occurs will not happen until two or three years in the
future, and at that point it will be very difficult for the IRS to prove that
my trip was not business.” This thinking relies on the false assumption
of even footing.
The courts dispel the level-field assumption with an oft-repeated
phrase from the case law: That “deductions are a matter of legislative
grace.” This phrase means, in effect, that taxpayers have no basic right
to their tax deductions. They are only available if Congress specifically
enacts them, and the law can place byzantine limits and restrictions on
what taxpayer must do to receive them. The travel substantiation rules
are just such a restriction. Fortunately, the information they require
taxpayers to retain is narrow and specific. Taxpayers armed with this
knowledge, and who keep good habits, should have no difficulty overcoming this hurdle.
THE FOUR ELEMENTS OF SUBSTANTIATION
The law requires that travel expenses for each trip be substantiated with
records, made during or soon after the trip, to show the four following
elements:
1. The amount of the expense,
2. The dates of departure and return and number of days away spent
on business,
3. The destination or locality of travel, and
4. The business reason for the travel or the nature of the business
benefit derived or expected.
At first blush, the “amount of expense” requirement of Item 1 could
pose a difficulty for aircraft because many fixed expenses will not
be directly associated with any particular trip. Fortunately, the IRS
regulations deal with this by establishing a special “aggregation” rule.
All expenses of an aircraft should be tracked and aggregated over the
course of the tax year. Records (receipts and invoices) must show the te
and amount of each expense. Based on these aggregated expenses, the
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taxpayer may pro-rate over the total use of the property during the year
to establish expenses associated with any particular trip.
Slightly different rules govern general travel expenses than expenses
for items of “listed property” (which includes any property “used as
a means of transportation”). However, the overlap in the rules is so
significant that they are co-mingled in this article.
When a taxpayer is forewarned of the elements to prove for each trip,
the substantiation rules should not pose a major obstacle. Recordkeeping with an eye to these four simple elements should allow avoidance of
this tax trap.
CONCLUSION
Good recordkeeping is a matter of good habits. An aircraft operator
seeking to deduct business travel expenses must always be mindful of
the four elements that must be established in order for the IRS to allow
travel deductions. Furthermore, the persuasiveness of recordkeeping
can be enhanced through the use of multiple sources. The flight log,
email and calendar are often three critical sources of documentation. If
the flight log shows the trip, and the calendar shows the meeting/s that
occurred on the trip, and the taxpayer’s personal email history shows
the messages exchanged pertaining to the meeting/s, these records can
work together to weave a convincing picture of business usage that the
IRS is unable to dismiss. This article is not intended, and should not be
read as, a comprehensive treatment of its subject matter. Always consult
a qualified professional.
Jonathan Levy, Esq., Legal Director, Advocate Consulting Legal Group, PLLC. Advocate
Consulting Legal Group, PLLC, is a law firm whose practice is limited to serving the needs
of aircraft owners and operators relating to issues of income tax, sales tax, federal aviation regulations and other related organizational and operational issues.
IRS Circular 230 Disclosure. New IRS rules impose requirements concerning any written federal tax advice from attorneys. To ensure compliance with those rules, we inform
you that any U.S. federal tax advice contained in this communication (including any
attachments) is not intended or written to be used, and cannot be used, for the purpose
of (i) avoiding penalties under federal tax laws, specifically including the Internal Revenue
Code, or (ii) promoting, marketing or recommending to another party any transaction or
matter addressed herein.
W I N T E R
2 0 1 2
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Hot Spots
TRAVEL
{
G O T T A
G E T
A W A Y
THE BRIDGE SUITE
AT ATLANTIS
}
CAN YOU GET A GOOD NIGHT’S SLEEP WHEN YOU’RE PAYING $34,000 A NIGHT?
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If you’re wondering who in the world steps
up to pay $34,000 a night for a hotel room,
the answer is “a lot of people.” The Atlantis
Bridge Suite has a five-year waiting list.
And did we mention there’s a four-night
minimum when you book it?
T
he Atlantis
Resort, on
Paradise
Island in the
Bahamas, is nothing
short of magnificent.
You can swim with dolphins, play golf, scuba
dive or rock climb
and still be on time
for a gourmet dinner
at a sunken restaurant
which looks out on a giant aquarium filled with
sharks. And if you’re
feeling like you deserve
to be pampered, try
staying in the Bridge
Suite, one of the most
opulent (and expensive)
residences in the world.
The 4,740-square-foot
Atlantis Bridge Suite
gets its name from its
location. The resort’s two
Royal Towers stretch 23
stories high. The Bridge
Suite connects the towers on the 16th floor,
offering uninterrupted
views of the entire 600acre, $450 million resort
and the turquoise ocean
that surrounds it.
The 10-room suite is
decorated in red, black
and gold (lots of gold)
and comes with its own
butler, bar lounge and
entertainment center as
well as 12-foot ceilings.
The master bedroom
has a sitting area, hisand-hers closets and
hand-painted linens.
The bathrooms feature
chaise lounges, marble
baths and dolphin
fixtures. For those who
are picky about their
personal space, there
are two separate master
bathrooms. The kitchen
also has its own entrance
so the butler, cook or any
other of the suite’s seven
dedicated servants never
need to bother you.
The Bridge Suite
includes a 50-foot by
25-foot living room,
complete with a grand
S U M M E R
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piano, two entertainment
centers and an 800-squarefoot balcony and a dining
room with a 22-karat
gold chandelier and
custom-designed 10-seater
table. There’s even a guest
room with custom-made
draperies and carpets,
designer furniture and a
set of wardrobes almost
large enough to live in.
Guests who have stayed in
the Bridge Suite include
Michael Jackson, Oprah
Winfrey, Bill Gates, Celine
Dion and Michael Jordan.
You don’t have to leave
your room at all, but if you
do, the resort has plenty to
explore. More than 35 restaurants, bars and lounges
at Atlantis offer guests a
smorgasbord of choices
ranging from the largest
pastry selection in the Bahamas to an international
marketplace of delicacies, from exquisite fresh
seafood served elegantly
in the midst of the underwater ruins of Atlantis to
sophisticated northern
Italian or Chinese specialties, from casual poolside
sandwiches to sumptuous breakfast, lunch
and dinner buffets. The
Marina Village adds 21
retail shops, five distinct
restaurants, a Starbucks, a
Jamba Juice and a Johnny
Rockets, the venerable
1950s-styled diner. There’s
also a casino, the largest in
the Bahamas, if you’re feeling lucky.
If you’re wondering
who in the world steps up
to pay $34,000 a night for
a hotel room, the answer
is “a lot of people.” The
Atlantis Bridge Suite has a
five-year waiting list. And
did we mention there’s
a four-night minimum
when you book it?
For more on the Atlantis property, go to their
website at Atlantis.com or
call 888.877.7525. Airport:
Paradise Island (PID).
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THE SOURTOE
COCKTAIL
MORE THAN 65,000 PEOPLE HAVE GONE
THROUGH THIS ARCTIC RITUAL
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Y
ears ago
there was
some
conversation at a 100-year-old
saloon in Dawson City,
Yukon, as to what the
exact qualifications of a
“sourdough” just might
be. The honor of being
a “sourdough” is not
lightly given in the Yukon. While definitions
vary among resident
authorities, it typically
means you have the
skills, at least, to live in
Canada’s Northern Territory year ‘round, and
you may even have to
run a trap line or fight
off a grizzly with your
bare hands. But this
as with any attempt at
definition, some people
fell into a gray area.
A method had to be
established once and
for all, a benchmark
beyond dispute, that
determined which
person qualified as
a sourdough. Enter
the Sourtoe Cocktail,
a drink served in
Dawson’s Soughdough
Saloon that originally
contained a frostbitten,
snapped-off human toe.
Though that toe was
eventually (and accidentally) swallowed
(as was its replacement), the tradition
cont
continues. To date,
mor
more than 65,000
peop
people have been in-
ducted into the Sourtoe
Cocktail Club. Membership requires a customer
to order a drink, then for
an additional $5, a human toe is removed from
a jar of pickling salt and
added to the libation.
The toe must at least
touch your lips or mouth
as you drink for your
name to be added to the
roster.
Two years ago, the
Sourdough Saloon’s toe
mysteriously disappeared.
Owner Dick Van Austin
arranged for an immediate SOS to be sent out over
the Canadian Broadcasting Service. The next day,
his phone rang, and the
first replacement toe was
on its way. Calls came
in from across North
America.
“One lady called from
down in the southeast
part of the United States,
and her mother had been
a member of the Sourtoe
Cocktail Club. She told
her daughter to arrange
to will her toes to the saloon,” Van Austin recalled.
Some Canadians in the
area also carry a typical
donor card with their
driver’s license. But in
addition to offering their
organs for transplant,
their card specifically
states their toes be given
to the Sourdough Saloon.
For more, see the web
site, SourtoeCocktailClub.
com or DowntownHotel.ca.
We can make
iPads,
iPhones
& Blackberrys
fully functional
at altitude
in your PC-12.
Any Hardware*
Any Provider
*Hardware must be PC-12 Compatible
A Factory Authorized PC-12 Service Center
Call now for details.
Philip Keiffer
PC-12 Program Coordinator
+ 940-323-8700 +
+ M: 940-391-1152 +
[email protected]
KDTO Denton, TX: 35 miles northwest
of DFW Airport+
www.jwac.aero +
TEN RULES
OF THUMB
One of the great challenges in writing about
IF YOU CAN’T REMEMBER
THE IMPORTANT NUMBERS
airplanes for a living is getting paid for it. Another is trying to avoid over-enumer- IN YOUR POH, HERE ARE A
ation. That’s a difficult task because, for better or worse, pilots live by numbers.
FEW SIMPLE RULES TO
Of course, many of those numbers aren’t locked in cement, and if you fly an
HELP MAKE INTELLIGENT
older airplane, the performance specs may demand what Hollywood calls a sigESTIMATES. By Bill Cox
nificant “suspension of disbelief.”
We have charts that warn us of limits, others that allow us to interpolate for non-standard conditions, still
more that let us predict performance and operating parameters to the knot, decibel, pound, foot, degree, psi,
g-load, bank angle, second or nautical mile.
But what if there’s no time to find the proper performance chart and research the perfect number? For that,
we have rules of thumb and forefinger. Here are 10 of the best.
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L I V I N G
1
DENSITY ALTITUDE: High density
altitude has bitten so many pilots, we’ve
given it its own category. Everyone has
heard of the Koch chart that makes a
rough approximation of takeoff roll increase
and climb decrease when departing any
airport in high temperatures.
The airport needn’t be that far above sea level
either. I was flying out of Amman, Jordan, in a
Beech Duke headed for North Dakota. Marka
Airport in Amman sits at 2550 feet MSL, and
it’s located in a valley with hills on both sides. I
was departing at 1,800 pounds over gross (with
ferry fuel) in late May, OAT 30C.
Marka’s normal departure path slices
through a canyon topped on one side by a luxury hotel, the Amra Forum. My airplane’s owner
was walking out to his rental car at the Amra
as I pushed the throttles up for departure. He
heard the familiar sound of his Duke’s 380 hp
Lycomings and looked up and around for the
airplane. He was at the edge of the parking
lot and happened to look down the hill to see
his Duke flying by in the valley BELOW him,
skimming along the rooftops, clawing for altitude. Density altitude was about 5,000 feet, not
an ideal situation for a Duke at normal weight,
much less one loaded 1,800 pounds over gross.
I could only guess the density altitude by
using my favorite short rule. Standard sea level
temperature is 15 degrees C, decreasing two
degrees per 1,000 feet. The simple formula is
to first figure what the standard temperature
should be; then, adjust for current conditions.
Remember that density altitude cuts both
ways. If you’re operating a normally aspirated
airplane in deep winter in the northern hemisphere, you’ll be flying with a negative density
altitude that can generate destructive engine
power. Depart Churchill, Manitoba, Canada,
on Hudson Bay at minus-30 C, for example,
and you’ll be experiencing a DA of -5,300 feet,
so your engine would be pumping out roughly
34 inches of manifold pressure — though
probably not for long.
2
e. If you haven’t accelerated to 70 percent of
rotation speed by the halfway point, consider
aborting the takeoff. Unless you’re flying an
F-15 with afterburners at fifth stage, acceleration isn’t linear.
f. The distance and time required to clear an
obstacle is reduced by 5 percent for every 100
pounds you leave behind.
g. Plan on using one percent more runway for
every degree C above standard temperature.
B Y
T H E
N U M B E R S
3
CLIMB: Though it’s hardly a rule, you
may find that, terrain permitting,
cruise climb is often a more efficient
method of reaching altitude than Vy,
especially if you fly a fairly efficient airplane
with a relatively low drag-coefficient. On aerodynamically clean machines such as Aerostars
and most single-engine turboprops, a speed
roughly 20 percent above Vy may be more
efficient, yielding more miles in less time for
ON THE RUNWAY: As you might
imagine, the takeoff segment is rife
with possibilities for abbreviated rules.
Here are some of the best:
a. Before you push the throttle(s) forward,
remember that a 10 percent change in gross
weight will result in a 20-25 percent modification to takeoff distance.
b. A 1 percent change in temperature from
ISA will increase or decrease the ground roll
by 10 percent.
c. Similarly, a 1 percent increase or decrease
in runway gradient will increase or decrease
runway distance by 10 percent.
d. Aborting a takeoff halfway down the runway
should allow you to stop in the remaining distance.
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from Redbird Flight Simulations plus lots of BIG prizes
To sign up for Kids Across America or to get more information,
log onto BuildAPlane.org or call 804-843-3321
S U M M E R
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Ten Rules of Thumb
less fuel. That’s especially true if you’re flying
into a headwind.
4
CRUISE: You might not expect to
find any simple rules associated with
cruise, but there are several that can
be helpful. First, a standard practice
for leveling smoothly is to start the pushover
at an altitude equal to 1/5 to 1/10 the rate
of climb in feet. In other words, if you’re
climbing at 1,000 fpm, you’d want to start the
level-off somewhere between 200 and 100 feet
below your target altitude. Personally, I use 1/5
for a smoother roundout at the top.
To make a guess at true airspeed, add 2 percent of IAS for every 1,000 feet above sea level.
If your ASI is indicating 210 knots at 16,000
feet, your TAS would be 242 knots. About.
5
RULE OF 60: A while back, I did a
story on one of the world’s nicest Piper
Apaches, then the property of retired
TWA Capt. Perry Schreffler, sadly, no
longer with us. Flying with him was an honor
and a privilege, and he taught me the Rule of 60.
We were flying out of little Santa Paula Airport in Southern California, and the wind was
fairly fickle, especially at altitude. As we flew
semi-sideways above the hills, nose deflected
20 degrees right, I commented that we must
have a hellacious crosswind. “Yes,” said Schreffler, “about 50 knots.”
He didn’t have a chart in his lap. He’d simply
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pulled that number out of his head. “OK,” I
said, “How’d you come up with that so fast?”
Schreffler explained if you divide 150 by 60,
you’re traveling at 2½ nm/minute. Each degree
of crab was the result of a 2½-knot crosswind.
Multiply that times our 20-degree crab angle
and you have 50 knots of crosswind.
In his book, Flying Wisdom: Proficient Pilot
III, Barry Schiff recounts a similar experience
with Schreffler in a 707 and goes on to analyze
several other applications of the Rule of 60.
Crosswind component for landing is similarly easy to calculate. If you’re approaching a
runway at 90 knots and crabbing 16 degrees
into the wind, your crosswind component is
24 knots (1.5 x 16).
6
HIGH TO LOW LOOK OUT BELOW: I’ll
wager everyone has heard variations
of this one, but here’s an extreme
example of how it can bite you, as
it almost did me. The rule is that for every
1/10-inch reduction in the altimeter setting,
you’ll be 100 feet lower than you think you
are. For every full inch, you’ll be 1,000 feet
lower than indicated.
I was delivering the first production Piper
Mirage to Kassel, Germany. It was deathly cold
in northeastern Canada, minus-20 to minus-30
C, and I’d had problems getting the gear down
in Bangor and Goose Bay. Both instances had
been diagnosed as cold-related. I was determined not to have the same problem on the
1,400 nm leg to Reykjavik, my next stop.
Accordingly, I elected to descend early
from the flight levels to warm the gear before
my arrival. I reasoned the temperature down
low would make the difference. I called
Iceland 200 miles out and asked for FL10. The
controller finally approved my request, but
warned that I’d be out of radar coverage.
I descended through the inky blackness
and leveled below the overcast at 1,000 feet
above the Atlantic and drove on toward
Iceland.
A few minutes later, I began noticing a bluegreen iridescence out in front of the airplane.
Hmmm? Suddenly, I knew what it had to be.
I pulled up hard to an indicated 2,000 feet. I’d
been looking at the dim phosphorescence of the
waves off the North Atlantic.
After my nerves had calmed down, I called
Iceland and asked for the current altimeter setting.
It was 28.96. I’d been cruising perhaps
30 feet above the ocean. When I’d climbed
above 18,000 feet, I’d set my altimeter to
29.92. Reykjavik was experiencing one of its
Icelandic lows, and when I’d descended below
18,000 feet, I’d either missed the setting call
or the controller forgot it. Either way, my bad.
7
THE MAGIC NUMBER: Most pilots
who’ve ascended to the flight levels
in turbo-charged pistons or turbines
learned long ago the techniques
for when to start down, but sometimes the
math can seem a little vexing. For those
lucky aviators with the luxury of descending at pilot’s discretion, the most common
magic number for a 3-degree descent is 300
ft/nm (actually 318 ft/nm, but 300 is close
enough). If you’re cruising at 24,000 feet
and need to level at a pattern altitude of
3,000 feet, you have 21,000 feet to lose and
roughly 70 miles to do it at 3 degrees down.
In turboprop aircraft, cruising at 4 to 5
nm/minute, you can simply reduce power to
near idle and push over to maintain the desired descent rate, most often 1,200 to 1,500
fpm (assuming a pressurized cabin). If you’re
thinking ahead, you can program the VNAV
and let the electronics do the work for you. If
not, the 1,200-fpm rate should work for four
miles a minute and 1,500 fpm for five miles
a minute. Faster traffic should keep in mind
the 250-knot speed limit below 10,000 feet.
Interpolate as necessary.
A 3-mile-per-minute airplane should
come downhill at roughly 900 fpm from
24,000 to arrive on time at the proper leveloff point. (Remember to build in a reasonable standoff distance for your level altitude.
Assuming there are no artificial ATC or
airspace limitations, most pilots of turbine
equipment like to be at their bottom altitude
10 miles from the airport. If the weather
Ten Rules of Thumb
is IFR, an instrument approach solves the
problem for you.)
Another popular formula for calculating
a 3-degree glideslope is simply to add a zero
to the cruise speed and descend at half that
number in fpm. If you normally descend at
200 knots, that’s 2,000/2 = 1,000 fpm for a
3-degree descent. Yes, such formulas can be
frustrated by winds, but these are, after all,
little more than estimates.
8
ONE OF EVERY PILOT’S MAJOR CONCERNS IS CROSSWIND LANDINGS.
Just as with density altitude, crosswinds account for an inordinate
number of accidents each year. If you don’t
have a crosswind computer with you, how
do you calculate the crosswind component
in advance?
Fortunately, that’s not a problem if you
remember a few key numbers based on
angle off the bow. If the wind is blowing
from 15 degrees left or right of the nose, the
crosswind component is ¼ of the total wind
component. If the wind is 30 degrees off the
nose, assume the crosswind component is
half the total wind; a 45-degree wind generates 2/3 of the total wind as a crosswind.
With any wind blowing from more than
45 degrees off the nose, assume the entire
wind component is a crosswind. (Actually,
it isn’t, but an overestimation is safer than
understatement.)
9
WHEN YOU ARRIVE AT YOUR DESTINATION, it’s important to keep in
mind that all approaches and runways
are not created equal. If you fly all approaches exactly the same, you may sometimes
find yourself overmatched.
a. If you must land with the wind at your back,
remember that a tailwind blowing at 10 percent of your approach speed will increase your
landing distance 20 percent. Similarly, if you
fly your approach 10 percent faster than usual,
you’ll use 20 percent more runway. Each knot
above the recommended Vref will extend the
touchdown point by 100 feet. Duh!
b. Wetly when slippered – Depending on the
surface, the design of your tires and condition
of your brakes, a slippery runway may extend
your landing roll by as much as 50 percent.
c. Each 1,000 feet increase in field elevation will
cause a 4 percent increase in stopping distance.
d. Similarly, each 10-degree C increase in
temperature above standard will result in a 5
percent increase in stopping distance.
10
REFUSAL SPEED: Not everyone
flies the oceans on a regular basis,
but for those who do venture
across large bodies of water, here’s
one of the simplest methods of gauging your
fuel situation. On long, overwater Pacific ferry
legs, I figure refusal speed religiously. Nothing
too exotic about it, a single number how-goes-it
to define how I’m doing on the only parameter
that counts – fuel burn. If I know I have 15
hours fuel aboard and the distance is 2,162 nm
(from Santa Barbara to Honolulu), I do a simple
division and come up with a refusal speed of 144
knots. If I don’t average that, I’m in the water.
I’ll generally set up a portable GPS on my
destination and use the aircraft system for checkpoint reporting in between. I’ll reference speed
on the portable continuously. If that groundspeed
begins to drop consistently below 144 knots, I
may need to start considering other options.
(Incidentally, if you’re past the point of no
return and you start to run short of fuel on a
Pacific trip in a twin, consider feathering one
engine. Most twins realize better fuel economy
on one engine than on two.)
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Moving Forward
PUTTING THE PC-12 IN PERSPECTIVE
ASK LANCE TOLAND
LOOKING AT THE HISTORY AND THE FUTURE OF THE PC-12. By Lance Toland
A
As I reflect back on 16 years with POPA, it’s hard to imagine
where we started and where we are today, especially in the
insurance arena. In past articles and presentations, I have
shared many challenges dealing with everything from the
insurance underwriters, training facilities and financiers
to recognize this great aircraft as an industry standard and
safety leader. I think all would agree that, finally, industry
recognition has taken hold as result of continued collective
efforts with POPA, its board of directors and advisors along
with its membership’s commitment to safety.
From the introduction of the first serial number 103 and initial sales going to
owner pilots, staggering premiums were commanded by the few insurers willing
to put their facilities at risk with this new long-range, high-flying, high-density,
autopilot-driven platform. I recall some of our first clients paying in the neighborhood of $70,000 annually for several million dollars in legal liability and $2 million
maximum hull coverage just to get flying and transition. Additionally, deductibles
of 10 percent each and every loss we’re not uncommon.
The first few years were not without losses, which was to be expected but, as the
group matured and more units landed in capable hands, statistics proved the PC-12
to be an extraordinary piece of equipment. Now with millions of hours under our
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belt as well as changing dynamics within the insurance
market, we are enjoying unprecedentedly low premiums with exceptionally high limits of liability. Hull
values today are now reaching in excess of $4.5 million, so if you were to graph these dynamics basically
you would have a big X, hull-and-liability premiums
on the left top corner descending to the bottom of the
right corner and hull values and liability limits starting
in the left bottom corner ascending to the right top
corner. Now the challenge is to maintain our competitive edge over other single-engine turbines which do
not enjoy such stellar performance.
As of this writing, I am hosting a meeting with
Pilatus and the underwriting facilities in Atlanta as
well as other prominent underwriters from around
the country to discuss both the past and the future of
the Pilatus. This is one of many events that we have
coordinated over the years with the underwriters and
manufacturer. This interaction with each other has
been a crucial component and has paid off as you can
see from the graph.
At the convention, I have arranged for you to have a
chance to discuss one-on-one, as well as with a group,
your concerns and questions with a panel of underwriters from across the country. You are encouraged to ask
responsible, well-directed questions as these underwriters
are here to better understand your operational concerns
as well as their long-term goals to partner with the right
operators. So here’s your opportunity. Take advantage of
this unique environment that will affect us all.
S U M M E R
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MiPad
ELECTRONICS
sufficient for most light aircraft operators. Advanced
and helicopter templates support an unlimited number of entries and lateral arm data. Both normal and
utility-category envelopes are supported. FlightScale
costs $6.99 and is available from the iPad App Store.
For more information, browse WarbredStudios.com/
flightscale/flightscale.html.
iFly from American
Aeronautics builds
on the work of Daniel
Scharf, an aeronautical engineer who has
been offering graphical “vector” weightand-balance calculators since 1981. Each
app the company
sells is customized
to match the empty
weights and moments
for a specific aircraft
so there’s no need
iFly
to dig out the POH
and enter that data yourself. All you need do is enter
passenger, fuel and baggage; the app then calculates
operational weights and shows the results graphically.
It’s easy to experiment with changing which seats
are filled, which can be convenient for operators of
cabin-class aircraft. Pricing is a bit steep for iPad apps
at $250 for piston singles – but bear in mind that this
is for an app customized for your specific aircraft
and includes one free change (required for avionics
or other mods that change your basic empty weight
or moment) per quarter. Details may be found at
FlyinCG.com.
Flightscale
THE BEST IPAD APPS
By John D. Ruley
A
A few weeks ago, I completed pilot orientation to fly as
a volunteer for Angel Flight West, which provides free
transport for patients and others needing to travel long
distances for medical appointments. Among other things,
I was required to show a weight-and-balance calculation.
The orientation pilot was amused to see that I still did it
with pencil and paper – particularly since my flight plan
was laid out on my iPad. I went home determined to find an
electronic alternative. Here are some of the options I found.
FlightScale by Jeff Cardillo of WarbredStudios.com is a solid basic weight-andbalance app that you have to program yourself: You’ll have to type in weight and
moment (or arm) data from your Pilot/Owner Handbook (POH). Once you do
so, the app generates a loading graph and will tell you whether you’re in limits,
testing against as many as 26 limit points. The app includes three templates: Simple
(shown in the image on this page) supports up to four rows of seats and should be
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Aviation W&B
Calculator by Roy
Kronenfeld offers
basic weight-andbalance for a wide
range of singles
and twins. You can
select an option
to build a custom
weight-and-balance
envelope for your
aircraft from
scratch or buy one
of 26 pre-defined
envelopes for comAviation W&B Calculator
mon models. If you
choose the latter, you’ll still need to enter the aircraft
empty weight and moment-arm figures from your
POH. For each flight, enter fuel (in gallons), weight
(in pounds) for your passengers and bags, estimated
fuel flow and duration of flight, and the app will show
whether you’re in limits for both takeoff and landing.
The app is free to download but only includes one
aircraft (a Cessna-150M); additional aircraft can
be added for 99 cents each or $1.99 for the custom
“build your airplane” option. For more information,
browse Facebook.com/pages/Aviation-WBCalculator/307928285918995.
NGS W&B from NextGen Systems, LLC,
is an iPhone weight-and-balance app that
also runs on the iPad. (According to the
company web site, a native iPad version
should be available soon.) The app supports
more than 26 specific airplanes, or you can
build your own airplane (which, of course,
requires your POH). As with the other apps
considered
here, once
an airplane
is selected,
filling in
fuel, weights
of crew, passengers and
bags and estimated time
and fuel for
the current
leg will
generate a
NGS W&B
graphic display of the
expected weight-and-balance for the flight,
showing at a glance whether it’s within the
allowable envelope. The app also optionally
generates load sheets in PDF format that
can be emailed or printed. The app is free,
but includes only one aircraft and limited
editing functions. To get more, you’ll need
to buy a preconfigured downloadable aircraft version or enable features to build your
own airplanes. Prices range from $3.99 to
$24.99, depending on aircraft/build features
selected. Details may be found at NextGenSystems.com.
John D. Ruley is an instrument-rated pilot, freelance
write, and recent graduate of the University of North
Dakota Space Studies graduate program (Space.edu). He
is also a volunteer pilot with LigaInternational.org, which
operates medical missions in northwest Mexico, and
Angel Flight West (AngelFlight.org). You can reach him
by email to [email protected].
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Secret Spots
TRAVEL DESTINATIONS
CARRIEARL
BOUTIQUE HOTEL
B
“A DRINK IN YOUR HAND, YOUR TOES IN THE SAND.”
Brigitte Bardot has been there. Douglas Fairbanks Jr. was a
regular. Over the years, thousands of people have come to
CarriEarl Boutique Hotel on Grand Harbour Cay to find the
best of the Bahamas and the best accommodations to enhance
their stay there. Enter this one-of-a-kind hotel, and you’ve got
a complete destination with something for everyone.
The home is a luxury vestige from the original developer of the islands, socialite Earl
Blackwell, a man who envisioned luxury hotels, gourmet food, a 72-par golf course
and much more on this isolated Bahamian island. He also is the person who named his
luxury home CarriEarl in memory of his mother Carrie and his father Earl.
When the Bahamian government refused to give Blackwell the license to operate
a casino, the future of the island became a bit wobbly. CarriEarl remained an exquisite private home until two British expats, Angie Jackson and Martin Dronsfield,
came along with a different vision. The two had done business together for more
than a dozen years and their five-year project to remodel and refurbish CarriEarl
into one of the island’s center-spotlight attractions became their newest obsession.
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Topping most visitors’ list is the gourmet kitchen. “We
don’t do any Bahamian cooking,” said owner/chef
Dronsfield. “We leave that to the Bahamians. Instead
we offer cuisine from all over the world.”
His menu changes at least once a month, depending
on which local foods are available on the island. “Eggs
Benedict is my specialty,” he said with a grin. And few
people escape the island without trying what’s now
referred to as Dronzi’s Famous Rum Punch served
from the shade of Dronzi’s Driftwood Bar.
Marty and Angie are designing five 300-square-foot
cottages to augment the three luxury staterooms CarriEarl now offers.
A big, paved runway is a two-minute drive from CarriEarl, and either Marty or Angie will drop by to pick you up,
whether you’re there for a quick lunch or you’ve arrived to
lay low for a week. Slip into your swim trunks and take a fivemile walk on a deserted white sand beach. Or go snorkeling.
Or bonefishing. Or kayaking. Or any of the typical aquatic activities. End the day with a quick dip in CarriEarl’s freshwater
swimming pool and an uninterrupted doze in the afternoon
sun. CarriEarl does not allow kids, smoking or pets.
For more information on this latest secret spot, go
to CarriEarl.com or call +242.367.8785. Tell them AJ
Publications sent you!
Got a secret spot you’d like to share? Email us at [email protected].
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Did You Know?
WHERE THE WORDS
CAME FROM
WE USE WORDS THAT MAY SOUND FUNNY TO AN OUTSIDER.
SOME OF THE WORDS EVEN SOUND FUNNY TO US!
T
By Lyn Freeman
To the uninitiated, the lexicon of aviation can be a bit
befuddling. What the heck is an “empennage”? Why do
pilots want to be in a “cockpit”? How come pilots want to
have a certain number of “knots” before they fly? And why
would you reckon anyone would want to practice “dead
reckoning”? The words we use when slipping the surly
bonds are not always intuitive in their meaning.
The language for some activities — let’s pick baseball, for example — is fairly easy to
make sense of. The guy standing on the first base bag is, in fact, the first baseman, not a
first “officer.” And he plays the game on a team, not a crew, and with a glove and a ball,
not something called an “aileron.” So how did aviation come up with all this colloquy
for the clouds?
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The answer is simple. When aviation was born slightly
more than 100 years ago, it was easier to adopt and adapt
a vocabulary from the sea, where mariners had already
spent 1,000 years getting the words right. For example:
Knot: From the Anglo-Saxon knotta, and the Norse
knuta, and the English cnotta, all referring to the type of
knot one ties in a rope. In older days, a vessel trailed a
long stern rope which was knotted at regular intervals,
allowing an accurate determination of the ship’s speed,
expressed then in “nautical” miles per hour.
Crew: As the number of sailing ships exploring the new
world grew in the 1600s, so did the number of men
on board the vessel. Those extra sailors were referred
to as “crew,” coming from the Latin crescere, meaning
“increase or grow.”
Pitch: Describing an aircraft’s nose-up to nose-down
attitude into the vertical, the word appears from the old
English word picchen, meaning “angle.”
Dead Reckoning: While a number of explanations have
been offered, the term appears to have originated in the
17th Century and is a slang from the longer “deduced
reckoning.” Just as aircraft use speed, direction and drift (wind) to navigate, this type of
navigation also originated on ships.
from the Norse ga, which translates to “leaving the course,” a sensible definition since that
is, in effect, what an aircraft does when it yaws.
hind an aircraft originated from the Norse term
waken, which described the distinct trail left by a
ship passing through ice.
Hold: The space in larger aircraft where cargo
is kept, originated with the Norse word bol,
meaning “hollow.”
Cowl: Originally thought to describe the
top of a ship’s ventilator system, which had a
bell-shaped cover. From the Latin cucillus,
meaning “hood.”
Slip: From the 16th Century German slippe,
meaning a “cut.”
Mayday: The international distress call for
ships and airplanes since the late 1940s, the
Stow: If you don’t get extra points for neatness
when you load your aircraft’s baggage com-
Aft: Although occurring in both German and
Dutch, it probably originated during the 15th
Century from the Anglo-Saxon aefter, which
meant “toward the back.”
Log: In early days, ships would toss a tree log
overboard and use it as a reference to determine
a vessel’s speed, timing the log as it floated from
the bow to the stern. The book in which this
speed data was recorded eventually was referred
to as the “log.” Over the years, the numbers were
supplemented with more and more information,
thus making the ship’s “log” an important source
of specifics about the vessel. It was a natural for
aircraft to adopt the same type of “log.”
Cruise: From the Dutch kruizer, “to cross.”
From the 17th Century, the word meant “to go
to sea for war.”
Camber: Early French meaning “bent.”
Monitor your engines
and save money.
Now, more than ever,
asset management is critical.
term comes from the anglicized French
m’aidez, or “help me.”
Wake: The term referring to disturbed air be-
Pilots and owners flying thousands
of hours throughout the world are
already using our service to avoid
spending money unnecessarily.
Aloft: From the 12th Century, of English
derivation, meaning “atop the mast,” the word
easily migrated to aviation, describing an
aircraft that was up in the air.
Our trend monitoring program
detects and diagnoses subtle
changes in engine performance,
often preventing secondary—
more costly—damage.
Pilot: From the Greek pedotes, meaning
“steersman,” and the French pedot, the term’s
earliest use referred to an officer in charge of
the ship’s maneuvers.
Let us show you the many benefits
of being vigilantly aware of your
engine’s performance.
Annunciator: From the Latin annutilatus, to
“announce.” When equipment was installed
on vessels to send orders below to the engine
room, they were called “annunciators.” This
early form of communication is in use in airplanes today, with annunciators now talking
back to the pilot about engine conditions.
Turbine Trend Analysis—
monitoring the most
expensive component
of your aircraft.
Cabin: From the 15th Century, it referred to
a coffin-styled box (built for sleeping) that
was suspended beneath the deck by ropes to
offset the rolling of the ocean. Eventually, the
word came to refer to any area aboard ship for
people, the idea easily transferring to aviation
to indicate the area set aside for people.
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p 559.297.6490
800.297.6490
f 559.297.6499
Scud: In old English, skyndan meant “running before the wind,” but an older Swedish
word, skyde, refers to low clouds and inclimate
weather. From that it’s easy to see how pilots
arrived at “scud running.”
Yaw: When an aircraft moves about its vertical
axis, which is to say it moves from side to side,
the motion is referred to as “yaw.” It comes
thetrendgroup.com
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Did You Know?
partment, take heart. The early Dutch word,
stouwen, means to “pack or cram.”
Compass: From the Latin compassare, meaning “circle.”
Rudder: From the Norse word roder, a “steering” oar, first seen in the 12th Century.
Spitfire: Earliest occurrences of the word connote “defiance of the high winds.”
Aileron: French, diminutive of aile, “wing,”
and from Latin ala.
Propeller: From the Latin propellere, to “drive
forward.”
Squall: Icelandic derivation, from the word
skvaj, meaning to “shout,” referring to a the
storm’s ferocity.
Captain: Probably a combination of the
Latin caput, meaning “head” and the French
chevetagne, meaning “chieftain.”
Trim: When we trim an airplane, we arrange
the airflow over the airfoils to create a stabilized condition. The term is derived from
an early English word trymian, which in
turn came from the Anglo-Saxon trymman,
meaning to “arrange or make firm.”
Steer: From the Anglo-Saxon word steoran,
meaning to “steer.”
Oil: From the old English oile, and originally the Latin olea, and the Greek elaia, it
refers to the oil from olive trees.
Chart: Possibly from Egyptian beginnings,
and certainly from the Greek khartes, meaning “map.” A modernized French word is
charte.
Shipshape: From the days when Bristol,
England, was at its prime as a seaport, many
ships prided themselves as being clean and
neat, and the term “shipshape” came into
general use to describe them.
Chronometer: Originally a ship’s clock, the
word comes from the Greek chronos meaning
“time” and metron, to “measure.”
Skin: While it seems obvious that the cloth
or aluminum covering the skeletal framework of an airplane could be called a skin,
the term originated from a time when boats
had actual animal skin stretched over a wood
frame.
Nacelle: Typically describing a smaller
aerodynamic “fuselage” around an engine, the
word comes from the Latin naucella, meaning
“small boat.”
Fuselage: No surprise here. The word is
French, meaning “shaped like a spindle.”
Cockpit: The word originated as a landlubber’s literal description of where fighting
cocks were put together. Then eventually
it migrated in use to describe the area on a
warship where wounded sailors were treated. Though the exact timeframe is obscure,
the word eventually came to mean the area
where all the instruments and devices are in
the reach of one man.
Course: Perhaps from the Latin word cursus
meaning “direction,” or from the French
cours, meaning “cause to run.”
Galley: Currently referring to the kitchen section of boats and aircraft, the word is thought
to have come from the idea that those who
worked there thought of themselves as “galley
slaves.” From the Latin galea.
Empennage: Referring to the tail section of
the airplane, where the elevator and rudder
meet the airframe, the word comes from the
French verb empenner, which means “to put
feathers on an arrow,” and as a noun, empennage means “the feathers of an arrow.”
Despite the fact that much of our aviation
vocabulary came from the seven seas, there
will always be differences between those
seafarers and aviators. For example, no
mariner is likely to sail out of the harbor for
$100 hamburger or worry about a hurricane blowing them into a Temporary Flight
Restriction. And no sailor has ever been
chastised for making landfall without the
gear down. Still, the common denominator of our languages will always make our
worlds related. Let’s just hope that pilots
don’t start getting scurvy.
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Make It and Take It
RECIPES
minutes or until crust is golden brown.
Mix the dill with the sour cream
or crème fraîche and freshly ground
pepper to taste. Transfer the pizzas to
heated dinner plates and spread them
with the sour cream mixture. Divide
the salmon among them and arrange
decoratively over the cream. Place a
spoonful of golden caviar in the center
of each pizza, then spoon a little of
the black caviar into the center of the
golden caviar. Cut each pizza into
fourths and serve immediately.
MAKING THE PIZZA DOUGH
Yield: Makes four 8-inch pizzas
• 1 pkg. active dry or fresh yeast
• 1 tsp. honey
• 1 cup warm water
(105 to 115 degrees F.)
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp. kosher salt
• 1 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil, plus
additional for brushing
• Toppings of your choice
WOLFGANG PUCK
THE MASTER SHARES HIS RECIPE FOR GOURMET PIZZA
TO TAKE ALONG ON YOUR NEXT FLYING ADVENTURE.
Wolfgang Puck is among the most
celebrated chefs in the world. After the
remarkable successes of Los Angeles
restaurants Ma Maison and Spago,
Wolfgang Puck and his Fine Dining
Group have gone on to open restaurants across the United States.
PIZZA WITH SMOKED SALMON AND CAVIAR
(Recipe courtesy Wolfgang Puck)
Yield: Makes four 8-inch pizzas
• 1 recipe Pizza Dough (below)
• 16 oz. smoked salmon, sliced paper-thin
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 medium red onion, cut into julienne strips
• 1/4 bunch fresh dill, minced, plus 4 small sprigs for garnish
• 1 cup sour cream or crème fraîche
• Freshly ground pepper
• 4 heaping tbsp. domestic golden caviar
• 4 heaping tsp. black caviar
Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F with a pizza stone inside. After the dough has
been rolled or stretched into four 8-inch circles, place the pizzas on a lightly floured
wooden peel. Brush the center of each pizza to within one inch of the edge with olive
oil and sprinkle it with some red onion. Slide the pizza onto the stone and bake 8 to 12
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In a small bowl, dissolve the yeast and honey in 1/4
cup warm water. In a mixer fitted with a dough hook,
combine the flour and the salt. Add the oil, yeast
mixture and the remaining 3/4 cup of water and mix
on low speed until the dough comes cleanly away from
the sides of the bowl and clusters around the dough
hook, about five minutes.
Turn the dough out onto a clean work surface and
knead by hand two to three minutes longer. The dough
should feel smooth and firm. Cover the dough with
a clean, damp towel and let it rise in a warm spot for
about 30 minutes. (When ready, the dough should
stretch easily as it is lightly pulled).
Place a pizza stone on the middle rack of the oven
and preheat the oven to 500 degrees F. Divide the
dough into four balls, about 6 oz. each. Work each
ball by pulling down the sides and tucking under the
bottom of the ball. Repeat four or five times to form a
smooth, even, firm ball. Then on a smooth, unfloured
surface, roll the ball under the palm of your hand
until the top of the dough is smooth and firm, about
one minute. Cover the dough with a damp towel and
let rest 15 to 20 minutes. At this point, balls can be
wrapped in plastic and refrigerated for up to two days.
To prepare each pizza, dip the ball of dough into
flour, shake off the excess flour, place the dough on a
clean, lightly floured surface, and start to stretch the
dough. Press down on the center, spreading the dough
into an 8-inch circle, with its outer rim a little thicker
than the inner circle. If you find this difficult to do, use a
small rolling pin to roll out the dough. To make smoked
salmon pizza, continue the recipe above.
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ENGINE FAILURE AT 17,000 FEET.
SINGLE PILOT, BUSY AIRSPACE.
“High performance airplanes demand high performance
training. That’s why I’m a regular at SIMCOM.”
“When I experienced an actual in-flight engine failure, the outcome
was successful because I was prepared. Many times I had practiced
this exact scenario in SIMCOM’s simulators. As a result, I felt I had
“been there and done that” when it really happened. Because of my
confidence and proficiency, the resulting single-engine approach
and landing were a non-event.”
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Watch the video of Earle Martin describing
his in-flight experience at simulator.com.
At SIMCOM, training is not just about “checking the box.”
It’s about preparing pilots for real world flight operations.
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