The problem is, those retracted wheels eventually have to be extended, in order to taxi to the ramp unaided. And pilots, being creative in their ability to ignore warnings and signals sent by the airplane, will find ways to land with the gear up. The increased maintenance and risk of loss associated with flying with “limber legs” were always present. Insurers, mechanics, and lenders began discouraging a later generation of pilots from buying such complex airplanes. Accordingly, Cirrus and other next-gen manufacturers have built fast singles with the gear firmly fixed in place.

However, many of the retractable-gear Beech, Cessna, Mooney, and Piper legacy fleet is still around, able to be purchased by new owners, and it behooves us to periodically revisit the cautions and techniques needed to operate them without incident. The FAA merely requires a logbook endorsement attesting to proficiency in operating one type of complex airplane; further training in other retractables is at the discretion of the pilot. 

You must avoid such laid-back transitions.

Study how the landing gear system works in any retractable-gear airplane you’re going to fly, what to do if it malfunctions, and what maintenance is required to keep it in tip-top shape. Get through training from knowledgeable instructors familiar with that type of aircraft, not just a few trips around the pattern but coverage of the plane’s limitations and requirements in all phases of flight.

When it comes to avoiding unintentional gear-up landings, make sure you understand how the airplane acts when it’s being forced to approach the ground without wheels. Yes, all retractable-gear planes were built with gear-up warnings that activate when power or speed is reduced with wheels retracted. Those can malfunction, or be masked behind the stress of passenger or ATC interaction.

What won’t malfunction is the airplane’s unnatural buoyancy in the absence of drag from the extended gear. If you’re reducing power to idle when a normal approach requires several inches of manifold pressure, you may be trying to land gear-up. If the airspeed remains fast as you roll out onto final, it may be because the wheels are still stowed. Listen to what your retractable-gear steed is telling you.

Checklists or GUMP rituals are fine, but make sure you’ve actually “done” the list, not just read it. I follow two rigid procedures to avoid landing gear-up. First, I never descend below normal traffic pattern altitude without assuring that the gear is down. You may think you moved the switch or handle, but did it really actuate, confirmed by indications and feel of the aircraft? Second, I always do a short-final check, when the approaching runway numbers are visible—gear-down, stabilized, cleared to land.

Flying retractable-gear airplanes is still a worthwhile endeavor, but it does require another element of risk management. Keep the gear system in tip-top shape, keep your skill at handling the extra piloting chores sharp, and never ignore the possibility that you missed that vital gear extension.

The post Gear Down Before You Go Down appeared first on Plane & Pilot Magazine.

Although I’ve been flying for more than 20 years, I only recently received my commercial certificate, and shortly thereafter, my very first assignment to fly a family from San Antonio to Telluride in a beautiful Piper Turbo Saratoga, a PA-32-301T. The aircraft is owned by the family and managed by their longtime pilot, Nat. The job was exactly what I was looking for, and I excitedly became acquainted with both Nat and the aircraft. It was explained to me that they have made this particular trip in this particular aircraft dozens of times.

Nat recommended that I fill the tanks, put all the luggage in the nose compartment, and everything would be “spot on.” In preparation for the journey, I took the free online mountain course offered by AOPA, watched a couple of YouTube videos, and honestly felt quite comfortable. Despite having absolutely no mountain experience, I was not about to turn down my very first paid flight. I may not have even performed a weight-and-balance check had the flight not been to KTEX. After all, it was only me and two passengers. The hundreds of hours I had in a similar Piper, a Cherokee Six PA-32-300 boasting a useful load of 1,560 pounds, was working against me.

The scheduled flight was more than a week away, falling during the busy Fourth of July weekend. I retrieved the POH and generated an aircraft profile in ForeFlight. Nat was right. To complete the 700 nm trip nonstop would require full tanks. Moving on to weight and balance: pilot (220 pounds); front passenger (230), his wife claimed to be 135 (I added 20 pounds for her overinflated lips); passenger luggage (50 each); pilot luggage and flight bag (30). I was shocked to see the result sitting 351 pounds over the allowable maximum gross takeoff weight with a forward center of gravity to boot. The useful load on this Saratoga is only 1,011 pounds. I hate to think what might have happened had Nat requested I complete this flight at the very last minute. Relying on my knowledge that he had completed this exact trip on numerous occasions, combined with the fact that he weighs about 20 pounds more than I do, I believe I may have accepted the mission without ever even looking at the weight and balance.

An aircraft’s performance was calculated for a standard degree day at sea level, when the engine was new and producing 100 percent power. As an engine wears and ages, a marginal decrease in performance and power occurs. Many issues, like a cylinder with very low compression or an issue with a valve, might not be detectable when operating during the vast majority of the time. However, when operating in the demanding and performance-stealing conditions of high density altitude, these previously undetectable problems can prove to be catastrophic. Non-turbo engines lose 3.5 percent of their rated horsepower for each 1,000 feet of altitude. If one is departing an airport with a 7,000 feet DA, 25 percent of the horsepower is lost (3.5 times 7 equals 24.5). If an old, tired engine is only delivering 94 percent of the power it did when it was new, an additional 6 percent is unavailable. This results in an aggregate loss of 31 percent of the rated horsepower. The combination of a decrease in performance attributed to high density altitude and an aircraft that exceeds its maximum gross weight limitation has caused the loss of far too many pilots and their unsuspecting passengers. 

Once set up, it takes less than two minutes to perform a weight-and-balance check on any of the aviation mobile apps. Do not be a victim of complacency. Add the following items to your checklist:

• Lean the engine to peak performance by increasing the throttle to full then slowly decreasing the mixture until the maximum rpm is reached. Leave the mixture at this setting.
• Set the flaps to the recommended takeoff setting. This setting is found in the aircraft’s POH.
• Calculate 50 percent of the runway remaining length and identify the corresponding marker or landmark that will let you know once you reach this point. Multiply your rotation speed by 0.7 and, if your aircraft is not at this speed by your designated 50 percent spot, abort the takeoff.
• In non-turboed aircraft, the horsepower adjustment for density altitude is calculated with the equation related earlier. A 160 hp engine operating at a density altitude of 7,000 feet will only deliver about 121 hp, and the prop is less effective at the higher density altitude as well.
• Accidents involving high density altitude are often associated with aircraft that are also overweight. I believe it to be one of the most preventable accidents—and it can be prevented before the aircraft ever leaves the ground. If you are operating in high density altitude conditions with a loaded airplane and you have any doubts whatsoever, you can always postpone the trip until early the next morning or another time of day when the temperature and density altitude are both likely to be lower.

I created reference charts with the weight and balance recommended by Nat and the calculation following the POH-specified loading requirements. Both were significantly over the maximum, though the POH figures would at least have given us a better chance.  The weight and balance recommended by Nat was actually 550 pounds outside of the recommended envelope because of the forward center of gravity.

The POH for this aircraft mandates that all luggage be loaded in the rear unless the fifth seat is occupied. Only then should luggage be loaded in the forward baggage compartment. The added weight of the air conditioner plus the turbo results in an aircraft that necessitates loading as instructed by the POH and not relying on habits or instruction from well-intentioned pilots. Needless to say, I didn’t take the flight.

Once my days on Earth are done, I hope to be riding the clouds, and no airplane will be required. Had I taken this flight and it ended with disastrous results, I might have earned a ride to hell. 

Editor’s Note: This story originally appeared in the October 2023 issue of Plane & Pilot magazine. 

The post Lessons Learned – To Hell You Fly appeared first on Plane & Pilot Magazine.

“After nearly two years of rigorous R&D, testing, and production preparation, Icon is excited to announce that it has increased the gross weight of the A5 by 60 pounds, resulting in a new useful load of 490 pounds (up from 430 pounds),” the company stated.

How can ICON do that before MOSAIC arrives? Isn’t the limit 1,430 pounds, as permitted on LSA seaplanes or floatplanes? Well, no.

ICON did not initially use all the gross weight given to it. After engineers proved the structure could carry more weight, the company could make the change and amend its ASTM documentation for the FAA, a task made easier as Icon has already worked closely with the FAA on a Type Certified version of A5 in the primary category.

• READ MORE: The Icon A5: An LSA Amphib That Handles Like A Dream

As the A5’s Rotax 912iS burns less than five gallons of fuel per hour, the company says “this equates to an additional two hours of endurance or the ability to carry more baggage or heavier passengers.”

Backwards compatibility is of interest to present A5 owners. “All 2024 A5s will include this weight increase, and the solution can also be retrofitted on previous models as part of an option package that includes a 4-blade lightweight propeller from eProps that delivers increased performance and additional weight savings,” ICON said.

Said Jerry Meyer, ICON’s CEO: “In response to feedback from our owners and prospective customers, we elected to undertake further research and development to test the airframe and fully understand what we needed to do to increase the useful load. The solution is a reinforcement of our commitment to innovation, and a 60-pound increase is significant, especially in the LSA category.”

4-Blade eProp

In conjunction with the gross weight increase, Icon said the 4-blade propeller that it announced in 2023 is now standard on all new A5 LSA. The company said “eProps’ new propeller provides a 21 percent reduction in ground takeoff roll in standard conditions, increasing the versatility and safety of the aircraft.”

“The 4-blade propeller is a huge upgrade to my ICON A5,” said Santiago Masdeau, an A5 owner based in south Florida. “I’ve flown more than 100 hours with the original 3-blade and now I have around 20 hours on the new carbon fiber 4-blade. Immediately, I noticed less vibration and noise, better acceleration, and improved takeoff distances. I’ve also experienced an increase on my cruise speed at 5,000 rpm and lower fuel burn. The entire experience is better, and it looks amazing, too!”

A 2024 A5 Limited Edition starts at $409,000 with the Garmin G3X Touch available as an upgrade. Additional options include autopilot, a digital attitude indicator, a variety of signature paint schemes and colors, and Sirius XM Weather.

The company believes that type certification will allow Icon to expand its market potential around the world, especially in countries that have not yet adopted ASTM standards. The type certified version of the 2024 Icon A5 starts at $434,000.

The post ICON Bumps Useful Load of A5 LSA Seaplane appeared first on Plane & Pilot Magazine.

Here at FLYING, we’re excited to share “Episode 3: The Ground Competition,” the next installment of our six-part SAFECON 2023 series. This episode pulls back the curtain on the ground portion of the competition, showing you the intense prep and brain-teasing challenges the teams tackle.

• READ MORE: SAFECON Docuseries Episode Two: What Teams Qualified?

We’ll take you into the heart-pounding rush of the Aircraft Recognition Event, where competitors have a mere 15 seconds to identify an aircraft’s manufacturer, model number, and common name from a 3-second slide.

You’ll get to witness the mental gymnastics in the Computer Accuracy challenge, as contestants race against time, crunching complex flight planning calculations on a manual E6B flight computer.

And, we’ll show you the meticulous detective work involved in the Preflight Inspection Event, where participants comb over an aircraft seeded with 30 unairworthy discrepancies, racing to find as many as they can in 15 minutes.

• READ MORE: FLYING Launches SAFECON Docuseries

We’re releasing a new episode of our behind-the-scenes dive into SAFECON 2023 every week until the end of July. Tune in, and get a firsthand look at what it takes to be a NIFA SAFECON champion. See you next episode!

Editor’s Note: This story originally appeared on Flyingmag.com.

The post SAFECON Docuseries Episode Three: The Ground Competition appeared first on Plane & Pilot Magazine.

The annual event used to be held on July 4 and combined an airshow over the Tacoma waterfront with a car show and aircraft on static display at KTIW. Billed as family-friendly entertainment, the event was popular with nonprofit organizations and clubs as the combination aircraft static display, car show, food vendors, and beer garden attracted thousands of people.

Last year the event was bumped to August. Then, just a few weeks before the event was slated to happen, it was canceled in part because airport sponsor Pierce County was concerned about complaints from residents in the area about noise and safety issues. In addition, the two largest businesses on the airport, Narrows Aviation, a fixed base operator catering to corporate aircraft, and Pavco Flight Center, a busy Part 141 flight school, objected to the disruption the event would cause to their businesses, and declined to allow their ramps to be used for the event.

It was disappointing, says Tony LaStrella, the president and CEO of the Freedom Fair and the Tacoma Events Commission. Then the Port of Bremerton reached out with the idea of bringing the aviation event to the Bremerton National Airport (KPWT), some 15 miles northeast of Tacoma Narrows.

“When God closes a door somewhere he opens a window. That’s what happened here,” LaStrella says, adding that the Bremerton location will make it possible for a much more interactive experience for the attendees.

“When we did the show at KTIW the airplanes flew over the waterfront of Tacoma. There was no way for the people there to meet the pilots,” he explained. “In addition, we had jets flying as part of the event and those jets needed more room to land than was available at KTIW. Bremerton has the room, and after the aircraft land people will be able to meet the pilots.”

KPWT covers 1,729 acres and sports a 6,200-foot-by-150-foot runway. Tacoma Narrows sits on 568 acres and has a runway measuring 5002 by 100 feet.

The first airport at the Bremerton location was allegedly created in the 1930s by a group of pilots who filled in a bog with gravel. The airport was expanded and improved drastically to serve the needs of the U.S. Navy during World War II and the Cold War.

At the height of its use, KPWT had two runways: one aligned east-west, the other north-south. The latter remains today. The east-west runway was converted into a drag strip in the 1990s and is still used by Bremerton Motorsports park.

The City of Bremerton has been ‘a Navy town’ since the early 1900s. Puget Sound Naval Shipyard is still one of the largest employers in the city. Since September 11 the shipyard has been under a National Security Area. The facility often maintains submarines, carriers and other vessels.

According to Jim Rothlin, the CEO of the Port of Bremerton, the area’s Navy heritage will be celebrated at the event. “This is the first time in 35 years we have had an airshow like this and we’re really looking forward to it. We’re planning to have people out here looking at airplanes and cars, and to have booths with crafts, food and music. We are looking to do something that involves the whole community.”

Aircraft Displays

Rothlin expects approximately 1,500 to 3,000 people to attend the event. Among the aircraft slated to be on display are a P-51 Mustang, an F4U Corsair, TBM Avenger, SBD Dauntless, PBY Catalina, and a T-28 Trojan.

For people looking for a more dynamic aviation experience, Olde Thyme Aviation, a Seattle-based company will be providing rides in vintage aircraft.

All these things are made possible by ample space at the airport, noted Doug Fratoni, executive director of the Wings over Washington Airshow. “There is a larger static display area on the west side of the airport and we have built-in car parking on the east side of the airport on the dragstrip. We plan to have shuttles running to get people from the parking area to the show side.”

Frantoni added that the airbox for performing aircraft is 3,000 feet wide by 6,000 feet long, which makes aircraft demonstrations possible in the future. “This is our first year at Bremerton and we’re just getting our feet wet. We’re hoping that we can have military demonstration teams in subsequent years.”

Both LaStrella and Fratoni say the Port of Bremerton and the Bremerton Pilot’s Association have been very supportive of the event and eager to participate. For example, the pilot’s association is running the car show, the proceeds of which go toward their aviation scholarship fund.

The Wings Over Washington Air Show is slated for August 19 and 20.

Editor’s Note: This story originally appeared on flyingmag.com. 

The post The Wings Over Washington Air Show Returns in August appeared first on Plane & Pilot Magazine.

The FAA’s warning came as part of an Information for Operators (InFO)—a notice designed to help operators meet certain administrative or regulatory requirements with a low sense of urgency or impact on safety.

“Alerts from TAWS can become a nuisance or a distraction to pilots when flying at altitudes below the alerting threshold of the system,” FAA said in the notice. “This may result in the pilot’s decision to inhibit the system. Inhibiting warning systems and ignoring warnings, combined with deteriorating weather conditions leading to loss of visual surface reference and situational awareness, has been found to be the cause of some CFIT accidents. In some situations, aircraft impacted terrain that might have been avoided had the TAWS alert feature been uninhibited.”

One such case in Alaska in 2015 involved a sightseeing Havilland DHC-3 Otter. The pilot and all eight passengers were killed when the aircraft crashed into mountainous terrain after encountering deteriorating weather conditions. In its report, the NTSB found that the TAWS “inhibit” toggle switch was disabled. In several other cases involving CFIT accidents, the TAWS system had also been turned off, as many pilots reported the alerts are a nuisance.

According to the FAA’s General Aviation Joint Steering Committee, which works to improve general aviation safety, there are roughly 40 CFIT accidents per year, of which half are fatal. Most of these occur during the approach or landing phases of flight, with VFR flight into IMC being the deadliest. Data also shows that more than 75 percent of CFIT accidents in a year occur during the day, while more than half are in visual conditions.

• Read More: Fatal SR-22 CFIT in Las Vegas

Since the 1970s, with the introduction of TAWS installations, there have been significant improvements in flight safety, especially involving CFIT accidents. TAWS was developed to provide a warning with enough time for the flight crew to take appropriate action to avoid possible terrain conflict.

“This InFO serves to inform operators about the risks associated with distraction and complacency brought about by routine use of the TAWS’ terrain inhibit feature. It is also intended to ensure operators understand the importance of having procedures and training for the use of the terrain inhibit aural warning switches associated with nuisance alerts,” noted the agency.

The FAA recommended that the directors of operations for charter providers, private flight department managers, and fractional ownership managers should “review their approved training programs to ensure procedures for the use of the terrain warning system inhibit switch is adequately addressed.”

The post FAA Says Don’t Mute TAWS Alerts appeared first on Plane & Pilot Magazine.