Putting the new in New Year

        I am super excited to start my new year here in Salt Lake City. In the next few weeks I will have my practical test for my Certified Flight Instructor Certificate which I have been working on since last July. After I get this certificate complete I will work towards my Multi Engine add on for my Commercial Certificate. I am still working dispatch and really enjoying it even though this the last semester.
         Last week I started my internship with the Delta Chief Pilot's Office last week and I will have lots of stories and experiences to share from over there. Right now I am excited to be gaining practical experience in the airline industry as well as developing network connections that will be able to help throughout my aviation career.
         I continue to be the President of the Great Salt Lake Chapter of Women in Aviation, International and if you can see all the things we will be up to this year on our Facebook page "Women in Aviation, Great Salt Lake Chapter".
         I am going to try and post on this blog more with advice for those starting in aviation and about my journey through this industry. Until next time.

Final Blog for Multi Engine

During this class I learned a lot about the Seminole systems that in turn helped me understand the systems of the Archer and Arrow. I really learned about the heating system, electrical systems, and a lot about emergency procedures. The other thing that I learned was about aeronautical decision making as it relates to commercial operations. It got me into a new mindset about decision making and the factors that will affect my decision making in a crew environment and passengers. I liked the fact that the class used more of a guided discussion as opposed to lecture method. I thought that we could have done a couple more simulator flights with the engine failures. I thought it was very beneficial with simulator flights and the discussion of emergency procedures that prepared us well for the actual flights in the multi engine. I thought blogging was an experience to share our ideas and get the responses from the class. I think that it defiantly was an experience to share my ideas and get input from other students who saw things in ways I did not see.

Seminole Observation Flight

I observed Devin Conley and Mike Digrazia on Devin’s first multi in Piper Seminole N978WC on September 13th 2011 in the 3:30pm flight block. I was wondering how the performance would be affected with me flying in the back. Mike told me that he was surprised by how well it performed even though it was a warmer day.
I noticed that while airborne flying was exactly the same. We did a couple maneuvers and stalls and the procedures resembled that of the single engine almost exactly but now there was a second engine. Mike mentioned in the pre flight discussion that heavier braking would be required and when we are out in the airplane I could definitely noticed a way in which the airplane taxied as well as the unobstructed view that exists when a propeller is not spinning right in front of you. During landing It was weird being able to see so much of the runway even from the backseat because I did approximately 12 observations during my CFI Ground School class and CFI internship. I also noticed during the landing attitude the need for power to successfully hold the nose up. I know in class we discussed the importance of maintaining airspeed to land the Seminole on the spot but it was very evident during my observation when were already within Commercial PTS even though it was his first flight in the aircraft.
Mike demonstrated a engine shutdown of the left engine on the flight and I timed how long it took from shutdown to restart and it took approximately 2 minutes. But in that time we only descended approximately 800-1000ft in altitude. It seemed like a took much longer for the descend than compared to a single. If someone was proficient with their checklists those extra seconds good help with making a good decision versus a bad one. Something that I found interesting was the attention required to keep the propellers synchronized. It would produce a distinct sound that was very evident in the cabin.
I was not sure what to think of the Seminole after talking about its performance class but after the observation I am very excited about getting to start flying the twin and feel comfortable

Aspen Accident

I think the main contributing factor to the accident was the approach and how it should not have been conducted at night. The article listed the pressure of clients in charter operations but both the pilots had exposure to this prior to the incident and most likely knew how to handle it. They picked a alternate in Rifle, CO which had clear weather and skies. I also feel the fact that they shot the approach at night in full IMC on a non precision approach contributed to the accident. The error chain occurred when they decided to shoot the approach that close to night,  the pilots mistakenly had spotted the runway to the right when it was on the left, using full spoilers even though it is not recommended in the POH, and not reacting to the Ground Proximity Warning System.
What would I do differently if I was in the situation? In their position I do not think I would have continued the approach after hearing the second challenger go missed approach. I am not saying that you can just rely on what others are doing for decisions but the fact of that with it being night and I have never shot the approach into there at night would lead me to follow suit on going missed.            

The question is asked how I would deal with a passenger if my job was on the line. Is the job worth dying for? To be honest I am not sure I can think of single job worth that. If you are PIC then you are PIC and the passenger has to listen. But you will be alive in the end. A passenger is not PIC and when you let them make PIC decisions it is risky road. There is a reason they hire the pilot to fly the plane.

Single Pilot IFR

Single pilot IFR. Sounds pretty scary and draws images of one pilot alone in the clouds overburdened with a thousand things to do in a plane that probably shouldn’t be used in perfect weather let alone solely by reference to the instruments. After reading this I think what we are getting at here is how comfortable you are flying IFR while in IMC by ourselves. We are asked if we would consider flying single pilot IFR. Personally, it would depend on the conditions. A flight that involves an enroute portion through the clouds would be different than a flight that a departure under IMC, IMC along the whole route, and finally a approach to minimums. Personally, at my current experience level flying the enroute part of the flight in IMC and part of the approach IMC would be within my minimums. A flight that would had IMC from departure through approach would be no-go decision right at my current experience level. One of the tips I took from the article was to rehearse the flight with expected alternates and emergencies. Currently when going IFR I have my alternates and I have seen the approach plate and I know the procedures for an emergency. Rehearsing specifically for the flight is important so you catch snags on the ground rather than in flight. Obviously one can’t rehearse a 6hr flight out completely but you prepare for the departure, approach, flying to the alternate, and how to approach an emergency that develops along your route.

In-Flight Electrical Fires Response

A short circuit occurs when the electricity is flowing along a different path than the one that it was intended to follow so our safety features such as circuit breakers and fuses cannot stop it. The short circuit will be particularly difficult to stop unless we shut the electrical system down because it will continue to flow.
The procedure in the Seminole follows along with what the article was getting at. The article was indicating the idea that just pulling a circuit breaker is not a through response because damage can still be occurring. The Seminole checklists calls for the electrical system to be shut down by turning off the battery master, alternator, all electrical switches, radio master switch, it then says to close the vents, and turn the cabin heat off. All of this is designed to make it possible to safely land the aircraft because continuing flight would be unsafe because now the aircraft is no longer airworthy.
The way I thought about electrical failures was that they were an emergency but not on the level of an engine failure but not as mundane as a alternator inoperative light. But my perception of electrical fires is that they are a much more serious emergency than I thought and when I handle one in the future it will be with different mindset and assertiveness to end the fire as soon as possible.

Expectations for Multi Engine

Well I would like to learn more about the operational considerations of multi engine operations, difference in aerodynamics, aircraft systems, and correlation of single engine knowledge to multi engine knowledge. I would like learn about the different structures that are more common on multi engine aircraft like wing tanks, synchronization, feathering, and the heating system.
As far as blogging is concerned I expect to use it to help demonstrate my understanding of material and establish a Internet presence since society is becoming more web based. My experience in blogging comes from writing and posting blogs for my Certified Flight Instructor Ground School class.