fle I 2 s

Volume 37. Number 2 Published by the S.C. Aeronautics Lommrssron February. 1986

?,Pt5/ ? 80 /"t-

Col. Abercrombie installedas CAP Wing Commander

Col. Douglas T. Abercrombie, a28-year-veteran of the Civil Air Patrol,took over as commander of the SouthCarolina Wing last month, replacing Col.William E. Hobson who had served in theposition for the past four years.

This is Col. Abercrombie's second termas head of the state's wing. He hadpreviously served as wing commanderfrom December,1975 to October, 1978.

Col. Abercrombie's began his career as

cadet in the Tampa, Fl squadron in1957 . He has held a variety of commandposts both on squadron and wing levelin North and South Carolina, includingdeputy commander of the CharlestonComposite Squadron and Director ofCadet Programs for the North CarolinaWing.

ln 1972. he was named S.C. WingSenior Training Officer. He was nameddeputy wing commander in March.I975. and Wing Commander inDecember, 1975.ln 1978. he moved tothe Middle East Region (MER) staff asDirector of Cadet Programs. In 1980, heserved as squadron Commander of theCSRA Cadet Squadron in Augusta, GA.In July, 1982, he was named assistantinspector of the MER staff and in March.MER Safety Officer. In July, 1983, hewas named Deputy Wing Commander ofthe S.C. Wing .

During his previous tenure as com-mander. he was instrumental inestablishing and selecting the site for thepresent Wing Headquarters building. Healso began an aircraft modernization pro-gram and a flight program for cadets call-ed Operation Eagles Fly.

In civilian life, Col. Abercrombie is themanager of the ACE Electric and Supp-

Col. Douglas T. AbercrombieCAP S.C. Wing Commander.

ly Co., in Augusta. He is a resident ofBelvedere. Besides being a civil war buff ,

his hobbies include woodworking and artcollecting.

During the change of commandceremonies held in Columbia Jan. 5.Col. Abercrombie announced that Col.Hobson would continue to play an activerole in wing affairs as the State LiaisonOfficer. Col Hobson was also nameddirector of communications for the Mid-dle East Region.

Col. Hobson had served as com-mander of the S.C. Wing sinceDecember. 1981 . He has been a

member of CAP since 7944 and wasoriginally assigned as a flight officer in theNorfolk Composite Squadron. He cameto South Carolina in Jan. 1965, joinedthe Columbia Composite Squadron in1966 and transferred to the Wing Staffas Assistant Wing Safety Officer in 1971.

MAR 1 4 'ig86

STAI r: i,',t.,1.r,:JHNTS

Camden FBO BillHawkins says lack ofpilot proficiency is awidespread problem thatneeds to be addressed,page 6.

sIr

?1 ..vommfssronBudget CutIs OrderedThe South Carolina

Aeronautics Commission,along with other state agen-cies, has been directed by theBudget and Control board tocut two percent from its1985-86 budget to keep thestate's economy in the black.

According to assistant direc-tor Alan Alexander, the cutmandated actually amounts tofour percent since half thebudget year is already past.

The Aeronautics Commis-sion will make every effort tokeep from having to curtail ser-vices, but at the same time,airport operators and otherswho depend on the Commis-sion for help should be awareof the budgetary constraints.

If you have a specific ques-tion regarding services at yourgirport, call the Commissionfoll free at 1-800-922-0574.

2 Palmetto Aviation February, 1986

PA[-METTO AVIATION is an of-ficial publication of the South CarolinaAeronautics Commission. It is designed

to inform member: of lhe ariationcommunity, and others interested in

a',iation, ol' local developments in avia-

tion and aviation facilities and to keep

readers abreast of national and interna-

tional trends in ariation.The Aeronautics Cornmission is a state

agency created in 1935 b1'the S.C.

Ceneral Assembly' to l'oster and pro-

mote air commerce within the state.

Richard W. Riler(iovernor

CommissionersRalph Schmidt, chairmanGreenville

Michael L. t-aughlin, vice chairmanAiken

Joseph WilderBarnwell

Edwin PearlstineCharleston

Jim HamiltonLexington

Fred Eugene Rachels

Chester

B. Truett Jones

Loris

Ex-Off icioSen. Isadore [-ourieColumbia

Rep. Olin R. PhillipsCaffney

sraffJohn W HamiltonDirector

Bill CoodwinEditor

Offices al Clolumbia Metropolilan AirporlMailing Address:Posl Office Drawer 1987

Columbia, Soulh Carolina 29202

Phone: (E03) 758-7704

"Liens on aircraftfor services performed"

BY HENRY M. BURWELL, ESQ.

South Carolina has a lien statute whichprotects a person that furnishes suppliesor accessories for an aircraft or provides

contacts of indemnity for that aircraft inorder to secure payment for that person.This statute establishes that a person mayobtain a lien against the aircraft for his

reasonable charge for labor, tools.machinery and equipment. accessories.

materials. fuel. oils. lubricants. earnedpremiums and other supplies furnishedin connection with service for that aircraft.

The person asserting the lien shouldfile within 90 days after provision of such

services. supplies. or contracts of indem-nity. a statement which is sworn giving

a true account of the person's claim. Fur-

ther. this sworn statement must be filedin the office of the Register of Mesne

Conveyances or Clerk of Court of thecountv within which the aircraft was

located at the time such services, sup-plies, or contracts of indemnity were fur-nished. The statement must also containthe name of the owner of the aircraft, ifknown. and a description of the aircraftsufficient for identification. (Section

29 15 100 Code of Laws of SouthCarolina. )

A petition to perfect the lien throughenforcement proceedings should be fil-ed in the Court of Common Pleas for the

county in which the aircraft was locatedat the time the lien arose. Further. theproceeding to enforce the lien against theaircraft should be begun within 180 days

after the person has furnished services.

supplies, or contracts of indemnity onbehalf of the aircraft. If enforcement pro-

ceedings are not begun within this 180day period, the claimant risks having the

lien not to be nerfected or even dissolved.

AOPA/ FAA/ATCA ANNOUNCEFLY.A.CONTROLLER PROGRAM

Communications between air trafficcontrollers and general aviation pilots willbe greatly enhanced via a new program

announced last month by the AircraftOwners and Pilots Association. the

Federal Aviation Administration, and the

Air Traffic Control Association.FAA Administrator Donald D. Engen,

AOPA President John L. Baker, andATCA President Gabe Hartl kicked offthe new Fly-A-Controller program. say-

ing that "we jointly feel that better com-munications and unilerstanding betweencontrollers and general aviation pilots willimprove the system for all."

Fly-A-Controller is a voluntary pro-gram organ\zed by AOPA, with thecooperation of the FAA and ATCA. Par-

ticipating general aviation pilots will be

asking FAA controllers and flight servicepersonnel to fly with them on a localflight. which can be planned to cover the

airspace for which that controller is

responsible."Controllers will be able to experience

the ATC svstem from the front seat of a

general aviation airplane," said AOPA'sBaker. "By understanding the capabilities

of the airplane and the high workload en-

vironment of controlled airspace. con-trollers will learn much about what it's like

on the other side of the microphone."FAA Administrator Engen noted that

controllers "will have an opportunity todiscuss their views of general aviation fly-ing, how air traffic can better servegeneral aviation, and how general avia-

tion pilots can operate more efficientlyand safely within the system. Further-more, pilots will get a better understan-ding of the pressures controllers face

daily. ""AOPA willbe urging allof its 265.000

members to fly a controller." said Baker.The pilot association has a brochureavailable for interested pilots, describingthe details of how to contact an ATCfacility and what the flight should include.The FAA controller will also submit a

"Familiarization Flight Trip Report" to the

facilitv supervisor.

February, 1986 Palmetto Aviation 3

Essay conteststimulates aviationawareness

The Federal Aviation Administration(FAA) and the National Association ofState Aviation Officials (NASAO) aresponsoring a national aviation awarenesscontest for students.

The theme of the contest is "Aviationin My Community." It is open to allstudents from the fourth throuqh the 12thgrade.

The FAA and NASAO hope the essaycontest will stimulate thinking about avia-tion to help students better understandair transportation, its effects on people'slives and the economy of the nation.

Both the FAA and NASAO are con-cerned over the public's misconceptionsand lack of awareness regarding aviationin the country.

"lf we are to maintain our high stan-dards of aviation safety, modernize ourairways and improve our nation's airportsystem, we must make the public moreaware of the importance of aviation,"FAA administrator Donald Engen said.

Entries must be handwritten in ink ortyped and be the work of the submittingstudent. Judges will consider historicalaccuracy, originality. interest. neatness.spelling, punctuation and adherence tothe subject. Entries with portions copieddirectly from a ref.erence book, withoutcredit to the author, will be disqualified.

The essays will be judged in the follow-ing categories:

Category Grade No. WordsSenior I0-I2 1000 1200Junior 7 -9 600-800Intermediate 4-6 300 600

Entries must be received by March 3and winners will be announced by May5. Entries should be senr ro:S.C. Aeronautics Commission. P.O.Drawer 1987, Columbia, SC 29202.

Senior national winners will receive$1,500 in cash or a scholarship andJunior and Intermediate winners willreceive $500 in cash or savinqs bond.

Darlingtonwoman namedWNAAA head

MRS. MARIE ROSSWNAAA President

Mrs. Marie Ross of Darlington, wasrecently elected President of theWomen's National Agricultural AviationAssociation at the 1985 annual NationalAgricultural Aviation Convention inReno. Nevada.

Marie has served as past president ofthe South Carolina Women's AgriculturalAviation Association and as a NationalDirector and past national Treasurer ofWNAAA.

She feels it is a great honor to havebeen selected to serve as the nationalpresident and will have as a goal for thewomen's auxiliary a supportive role forpromoting membership in the NationalAgricultural Aviation Association andpositive public relations for the men inagriculture aviation nationally andinternationally.

Marie has an interest in flying not onlyfrom the business aspect, but has soloeda Cherokee 180; however, admits she

could never become an aerial applicatorand will be satisfied with her favoritehobby - flower gardening.

She has been employed by the USDAfor the past 18 years. She is married toJack Ross, owner of Jack Ross FlyingService in Darlington.

On Jan. 12. the South CarolinaBreakfast Club met in Orangeburg for theannual election of officers. The same of-ficers that served during 1985 were re-elected for 1986. They are: GeraldBallard, president; Fred Powell, Up-statevice president; David Oswalt, Mid-statevice president: Rudy Branham. Lowerstate vice president; Anne Hawkins.secretary and Coy Derrick, historian.

The meeting schedule through June,1986 is listed below: Anne Hawkins saysthere are "quite a few open dates afterJuly" and asks anyone wanting toschedule a meeting during the latter partof the year to please call her at 432-3095or 432-9595.

Feb. 9 Charleston ExecutiveAiport.John's Island

Feb. 23. Greenville DowntownAirport,Greenville

Mar. 9 Owens AirportColumbia

Mar. 23 Dillon CountyAirportDillon

Apr. 6 Aiken MunicipalAiport,Aiken

Apr. 20 Bryant Field,Rock Hill

May 4 Berkeley County.AirportMoncks Corner

May 18 Laurens CountyAirportLaurens

Breakfast club members normally arrivebetween 9 and 9:30 a.m. Breakfast startsat 10 and is usually over by 11 a.m.

4 Palmetto Aviation February, 1986

Harton namedpresidentof Hawthorne

Hawthorne Corporation. a Charlestonbased company, announced the election

of Dean Harton to the office of Presidentfor the Corporation and its nine sub-

sidiary and affiliated companies.Harton joined in 1978 as a flight in-

structor. Since that time, he has servedin several capacities from air taxi to finan-cial officer for the corporation. In 1978.he was elected to the office of Vice Presi-

dent and member of the Board of Di-rectors. ln 1982. he was elected to theoffice of Vice President and member ofthe Board of Directors. In 1982. he was

elected Executive Vice President andassumed operational responsibility for all

sections of the company. As Presidentand Chief Operating Officer, Harton willbe responsible for all parent and sub-

sidiary operations. The company current-ly employs 460 people and has 19

operations in 16 cities in 10 states.

Hawthorne board chairman Vernon B.

Strickland said. "Mr. Harton served

Hawthorne well for over 77 years and Iam confident that the company and its

people will continue to grow and prosper

under his leadership."Mr. Harton is an active member of the

Trident Chamber of CommerceLegislative Task Force, the TridentUnited Way Planning Board and the Tri-

dent 100 Committee. He is a past

member of the Aviation/AerospaceWriters Association with several national-ly published articles to his credit. He is

also an experienced pilot with over 7600hours logged fllght time.

nor do they read aviation informationto keep up with changes in the aviationsystem. Some flights are months bet-ween. That's no way to stay proficient.

Examples of some of these pilotsfollow.

--Aircraft owner: Private pilot thathas been flying about 25 years. He has

1000 hours total time and about 100hours in the last five years. Hetelephones the airport about 30 minutesbefore departure and says, "pull her outand check her over for me." For the lineboy, this involves checking tires,washing off dust, cleaning the wind-shield, checking oil and gas, drainingsumps and probably a battery boost.The pilot does a walk around and is offon a four-hour trip one way.

--Aircraft renter: This one is a privatepilot that has been flying about eightyears. He has 200 hours total time andonly four hours in the last two years. Hecalls to rent an aircraft to let a passengertake pictures low and slow. Needless tosay, he didn't get it.

--lnstructor pilot: This man is highlyexperienced but his log shows only eighthours in the last three years. He wantedto rent a trainer to get a relative current.I had him ride with another instructorfor an hour. He was rusty and did nothave the feel for flying that we all shouldhave.

Being rusty and out of touch does notmake for a safe attitude. Don't be upsetif, in the near future, you don't get touse a rental aircraft or borrow onebecause someone questions your profi-ciency. The insurance companies andthe courts are coming down hard on air-craft owners who do not thoroughlycheck out pilots who use their airplanes.Check for current medicals, make surethe biennial flight reviews are up to dateand that they have current fresh ex-perience or be prepared to bear the con-sequences if you don't.

Remember, South Carolina is one offour states in the United States that has

laws making the aircraft owner ab-solutely responsible for damage to pro-perty or for personal injury in the eventof an accident.

DEAN HARTON

Lack of proficiencyseen as serious problem

Editor's note: The following article was

submitted by Bill Hawkins, FBO atWoodward Field. Camden. He said heis often faced with the problem of lack ofproficiency or marginal experience inpilots that want to rent airplanes. The ex-amples in his article are real people.

We heartily agree that no FBO shouldlet someone fly an airplane unless theoperator makes sure he has the ex-perience. skill and judgement to handlethe equipment and mission.

By BILL HAWKINSHawk Aviation Service

Pilots who do not fly on a regularbasis are not saving money. They are asafety problem and a potential accident.

It would be hard to say what hoursany individual pilot should fly to stayproficient. All of us have different ex-perience levels. Some pilots do not see

an airplane from one flight to another

George RubinoResigns Position

George A. Rubino. director of airportsfor the Charleston County AviationAuthority since I979. has left his posi-tion to become a partner with a trans-portation consulting group in Florida.

Rubino, known as Kelly to associates.announced last month that he is

resigning."This has not been an easy decision as

I have thoroughly enjoyed being inCharleston and working with theAuthority," Rubino said in a letter toAuthority Chairman William E. Craver.Jr. "Since the opening of the terminal,I have been investigating many options.I have been very happy here but feel itis time to undertake new challenges."

Rubino became director of airports inlate I979 after James J. Gehring left totake an assistant director's position at theairport in Jidda, Saudi Arabia. Rubinohad joined the Charleston airport staff as

director of engineering.Rubino will become a partner with Lott

Parrish & Associates in Tampa. He willopen a new office there for the groupwhich is changing its name to the LPAgroup lnc.

February .1986 Palmetto Aviation 5

CAUSE AND CIRCUMSTANGE

Just how important is recent experience,particularly if you are a fairly seasonedpilot? Before answering that question, re-member what the regulations say aboutinstrument currency. FAR Part 61, Para-graph 57(e) states:

"No pilot may act as pilot in com-mand under IFR, nor in weatherconditions less than the minimumsprescribed for VFR, unless he has,within the past six months. . .

logged at least six hours of instru-ment time under actual or simu-lated IFR conditions, at least threeof which were in flight in the cate-gory of aircraft involved, includingat least six instrument approaches,or passed an instrument competen-cy check in the category of aircraftinvolved. "

But is that rule in the FARs becausesome bureaucrat thought it sounded good,or is there wisdom in its message?

The answer may be found in the case ofa police officer who was employed in hisdepartment's helicopter section. He was afairly experienced professional pilot withover 2,0OJ flight hours, abcut 60 percentof which were in ffxed wing aircraft. Hisinstrument time, however, was a bit low:Only 78 of his flying hours were underinstrument conditions, and a mere 25.9hours were conducted in actual instru-ment weather. But during his IFR activi-ties, he had made 92 instrument ap-proaches, and he maintained his aeronau-tical skills by flying helicopters regularlyin his capacity as a police officer.

One morning in May a few years ago,the city that employed him assigned theofficer-pilot to fly four city officials toAnnapolis, Maryland, wait there, andthen return in the afternoon. As had beenthe case on several other occasions, a

neighbor of one of the city officialsloaned the city his Beech Travel Air forthe trip. The day before the flight, theaircraft's owner filled the main tanks(there were about three to five gallons ineach auxiliary tank), and taxied theBeechcraft to the police hangar so the air-craft would be in position.

Because the fifth seat in the Travel Airwould be used, the owner discussedweight-and-balance considerations withthe pilot, requesting him to calculate theaircraft's all-up weight and c.g. beforecommencing the trip to the Baltimorearea. The pilot assured the owner that twoof the four passengers were not large men

The Need to Stav Current

Although the experiencedpilot had flown within theprevious two weeks, he hadnot flown on instrumentswithin the preceding sixmonths and did not meetthe requirements of FAR

Part 61.57(e).

and that they would be placed in the aftseats, but he agreed with the owner to useBaltimore International rather than thesmaller airport at Annapolis because theTravel Air would be flying at or near itsmaximum takeoff weight.

Apparently there was no discussion,however, about the pilot's recent instru-ment experience. Although the police of-ficer had flown within the previous twoweeks, he had not flown on instrumentswithin the preceding six months and didnot fulfill FAF- Pa:t 61 5z(c).

The day of the fllght was definitelyIFR: BWI had a 300- to 500-foot overcast,1.5-mile visibility and light drizzle andfog. An instrument flight plan was filed,and the departure was successful.

When the aircraft reached the Balti-more area and was cleared for an ILS ap-proach to Runway 10, the airplane flewthrough the localizer as the radar control-ler continued to monitor the Travel Airafter it was released to Baltimore Tower.The pilot had been requested to keep hisspeed up since he was about five miles be-hind a Shorts Skyvan and there was a

McDonnell Douglas DC-9 behind theTravel Air; therefore, the Beech pilot'sfailure to turn inbound on the ILS pre-sented a potential spacing problem forapproach control.

The tower controller was then re-quested by approach control to vector theTravel Air northbound and clear it up to2,500 for re-spacing, and the clearancewas given to the aircraft's pilot. His re-sponse, however, was not precise; it saidsomething about climbing to 2,000.

The radar track for tl,e aircraft indi-cated that the pilot was nr)t responding as

directed by ATC. At the lime of the tow-er's request that the Travel Air turn left to360 degrees and climb to 2,500 feet, tht'aircraft was at about .[.800 feet and

achieving a groundspeed of about 150knots. It then descended to about 1,400feet and turned to the right about 360 de-grees. In the process of completing thisturn, the Travel Air continued descend-ing until it reached 700 feet, duringwhich time its groundspeed had droppedto 120 knots.

During the next l4 seconds, the aircraftturned another 90 degrees, zoomed to1,900 feet and slowed to a groundspeed of104 knots. Within l9 more seconds, itturned 180 degrees to the left, plum-meted back to about 700 feet and deceler-ated to 68 knots. Fourteen seconds later ithad climbed to 1,400 feet and turnedright about 90 degrees as its groundspeedremained essentially unchanged. Fourseconds later, the Travel Air disappearedfrom the radar screen; its wreckage andthe bodies of the five occupants were dis-covered shortly thereafter, almost direct-ly below where radar last painted it.

The NTSB determined that the TravelAir was intact, with all essential systemsoperational, at the time of impact. Theaircraft's c.g., however, was between 1.3to 2.7 inches behinC its afi liinit, and itshandling qualities would have been ad-versely affected by that imbalance. Theelevator trim tab was found in the maxi-mum nose-down position

This accident, which probably wascaused by the pilot's lack of instrumentcurrency coupled with improper loadingof the aircraft, serves as a reminder ofhow important recent IFR experience isto successful instrument flying. It empha-sizes our responsibilities to police our-selves when it comes to keeping current.

Unfortunately for the owner of thefateful Travel Air, the accident also bearsanother message concerning the legalrisks of loaning property. He was sued forseveral million dollars by the estates ofthe deceased, which claimed in essencethat he should have determined that thepilot was properly qualified for the flight.The fact that he had (l) loaned the air-craft with no demand or expectation ofcompensation; (2) had done so on severaloccasions out of a sense of civic dutv: and(3) that the city, not the aircraft owner,had selected their employe to conduct thetrip as part of his job, did not protect himfrom being sued. In fact, the aircraft'sowner decided to settle out of court ratherthan risk the loss of his company, whichwas the registered owner of the aircraft.

BY IOHN W, OLCOTT

Used by permission of Business and Commercial Aviation magazine

6 Palmetto Aviation Februa4r. 1986

trEncoFLYING SAFETY UPDATE

Tips on Winter FlyirgMost oilots are familiar with winter con-ditions in their particular area. However,a distance of a few miles may change theenvironment enough to present new prob.lems to an inexperienced pilot. There arecertain precautions that aie significant towinter hyinq.

Flight blaining during winter monthswill require special know-ledge in order toprotecf the aiicraft as well asihe pilot. Ex-tra precautions should be used.

O-f course, file a flight plan. A flight plan,in coniunction with an ELT anil a littleknowl6dge on winter survival, may savevour life.-

Aircraft PreparationMost mechanical equipment, including

aircraft and their cohponents, are delsigned by manufacturer-s to operate with-in certain temperature extremes. Manu-facturers geneially can predict their pro-duct's performance in temperature ex-tremes and outline orecautions to be takent() prevent prematirre failures.

Baffling aid u'inter coocrs-Baffles arerecommended by some manufacturers tobe used in augmenter tubes. Winter frontsand oil cooler covers are also added tosome engine installations. FAA approvalis reouired for installation of these unlessthe jircraft manufacturer has providedthe approval. When baffles are installedon an aircraft, a cylinder head tempera-ture gauge is recommended, particularlyif wide tdmoerature differenc-es are to b-e

encountered.Errgrrrc Oil-The oil is extremely impor-

tant in low temperatures. Check youi air-craft manual for proper weight oil to beused in low temperature ranges.

O il B reather-The crankcas--e breatherdeserves special consideration in coldn eather preparation. A number of enginefailures have resulted from a frozen crink-case breather line which caused pressureto build up, sometimes blowini the oilfiller cap bff or rupturing a caise seal,which ciused the lciss of tlre oil supply.

The water which causes the bre-aihbrline freezing is a natural byproduct ofheating anil cooling of erigine parts.When the crankcase vapor cools, it con-denses in the breather line subsequentlyfreezing it closed. Special care is iecom-mended during the preflight to assurethat the breathEr svstem iifree of ice.

Httse Clanrys, Hotes, Hrltlraulic Fittinxsand Seals-An importani phase of coldweather preparation is inspection of allhose line's, flexible tubing,'and seals fordeterioration. After replading all doubtfulcomponents, be certain that all clampsand Tittings are properly torqued to the

manufacturer's specifications for coldweather.

Cabiu Hcater-Manv aircraft are zuuippedwith cabin heater stirouds which 6.rtfor"the muffler or portions of the exhaust sys-tem. It is imperative that a thorough in-soection of the heater svstem be mide toeliminate the possibility of carbon mon-oxide entering the coc(pit or cabin area.

Cont rol Cabfes-Becaule of contractionand expansion caused by temperaturechanged, control cables sho:uld be-properlyadjuited to compensate for the t6mpera-ture changes encountered.

Oil Prissure-Controlled Propellers-Propeller control difficulties cair be en-couhtered due to congealed oil. The in-stallation of a recirculating oil svstenr forthe propeller-and feathering system hasproved-helpful in the extlemelv coldilimates. Ciution should be taken whenintentionally feathering propellers fortraining purposes to assure that the pro-peller is unfeathered before the oil in thesystem becomes conqealed.'

Care of Batteries-Wet cell batteries re-quire some special consideration duringcbld weather. It is recommended that the!be kept fully charged or removed from th-eaircraft when parked outside to preventloss of power caused by cold tempera-tures arid the possibility of freezing.

Wheel Wells'and Wheel Panfs-Duringthawing conditions, mud and slush canbe thrown into wheel wells during taxi-ing and takeoff . lf frozen durine ilisht,this mud and slush could createfandinggear problems. The practice of recvclinet"he g'ear after a takebff in this conilitiotshould be used as an emergency proce-dure only. The safest method is io'avoidthese conditions with retractable gear air-craft. lt is recommended that wheil pantsinstalled on fixed gear aircraft be reniovedto prevent the possibility of frozen sub-stances locking the wheels or brakes.

Operation of AircraftThe thoroughness of a preflight inspec-

tion is important in temperature ex-tremes. It is natural to hurry over thepreflight of the aircraft and bquipmentiartic"ularly when the aircraft is <iut'side inihe cold. However. this is the time voushould do your best preflight inspection.

F uel Coniaminatitrn-Fuel-contaririnationis always a possibility in cold climates.Moderi fuel pumpingfacilities are gener-ally equipped with good filtration dquip-ment, and the oil companies attempt todeliver pure fuel to your aircraft. How-ever, ev-en with the 6est of fuel and pre-cautions, if your aircraft has been w-armand then is parked with half emp-ty tanks

in the cold, the possibilitv of condensationof water in the tanks eiist.

Fueling Facilities-Another hazard incold climates is the danqer of fueling frommakeshift fueling facilit'ies. Fuel drulms or"case gas," evei if refinery sealed, cancontain rust and somehow iontaminantscan find their wav into the fuel. Cases areon record of fuel 6eing delivered from un-dentified containers"which was not avia-.ion fuel. As a precaution:

1. Where poisible, fuel from modernfueling facilities; fill your tanks as soonas possible after landing, and drain fuelsumps to remove any water which mayhavd been introduc6d.2. Be sure the fuel being delivered is,in fact, aviation fuel andis the correctgrade (octane) for your engine.3. If a fuel source other than (1.) is used,be sure to filter the fuel as it goes intoyour tanks. NOTE: A funnel with a dirtyworn out chamois skin is not a filter, norwill a new, clean chamois filter outwater after the chamois is saturatedwith water. Many filters are availablewhich are more effective than the oldchamois. Most imitation chamois willnot filter water.4. Special precautions and filtering arenecessary with kerosene and other tur-bine fuels. Manufacturers can supplyfull details on handling these fuefs.Aircraft Fuel Filters aid Sumps-Fuel

filters and sumps (including each tanksump) should be equipped with quickdrains. Sufficient fuel-shbirld be drawn offinto a transparent container to see if thefuel is free of contaminants. Experiencedoperators place the aircraft in l6vel flightpbsition, ahd the fuel is allowed to seftlebefore sumps and filters are drained. Allfuel sumps on the aircraft are drained in-cluding ihdividual tank sumps.

Extri care should be talien duringchanges in temperature, particularlV whenit neirs the fre'ezing lev'el. Ice may be inthe tanks which mav turn to watei whenthe temperature rises, and may filterdown into the carburetor causinq enqinefailure. During freeze-up in the fa-ll, watercan freeze in lines and filters causing stop-page. If fuel does not drain freel/ froinsumps, this would indicate a line or sumpis obstructed by sediment or ice.

There are ap-proved anti-ice additivesthat mav be usisa. Where aircraft fuel tanksdo not have quick drains installed, it is ad-visable to dr-ain a substantial amount (1quart or more) of fuel from the gascolator;

Contlnued, Page 7

February 1986 Palmetto Aviation 7

Winter FlyingContinued from page 6

then chanse the selector value and alkrwthe fuel to"drain from the other tank.

Ai rc raft P relrcat -L<tw temperatures canchange the viscosity of en[ine oil, bat-terieican lose a high percentage of theireffectiveness, instrunients can'st ick, andwarning lights, when "pushed t0 test,"can sticL in the pushed position. Becauseof the above, preheat of engines as wellas cockpit befoie starting is considered ad-visable in low temperatures.

Extreme caution -should

be used in thepreheat process to avoid fire. The follow-ing precautions are recommended:

L Preheat the aircraft by storing in aheated hangar, if possible.2. Use only heaters that are in goodcondition ind do not fuel the hEaterwhile it is running.3. During the heating process, do notleave the aircraft unattended. Keeo afire extinguisher handy for fheattendant. -

4. Do not place heat ducting so it willblow hot air directly on partiof the air-craft; such as, dpholsterv, canvasengine covers, fleiible fuel, oil and

i#rTi,i:l:""s or other items that mav

Engine Sfarts-Be sure to follow man-ufacturer's procedures. In moderatelycold weat\er, engines are sometimesstarted without preheat. Particular careis recommended during this type ofstart. Oil is partially congealed and turn-ing the engines is difficult for the starteror by hand.

There is a tendency to overprime,which results in washed-down cylinde.walls and possible scouring of the walls.This also results in poor compressionand, consequently, harder starting.Sometimes, aircraft fires have been startedby overprime, when the engine firesand the exhaust svstem contains rawfuel. Other fires ard caused by backfiresthrough the carburetor. It is lood prac-tice to have a fireguard handy duringthese starts.

Another cold start problem that pla-gues an unpreheated engine is icing overthe sparkplug electrodes. This happenswhen an engine fires only a few revo-lutions and then quits. There has beensufficient combustion to cause some waterin the cvlinders but insufficient com-bustion to heat them up. This littte bitof water condenses on the sparkplugelectrodes, freezes to ice, and shortsthem out.

The onlv remedv is heat. When nolarge heat "source ii available, the plugsare removed from the engine and heatedto the point where no more moisture ispresent.

Engines can quit during prolongedidling because sufficient heat is not pro-duced to keep the plugs from foulingout. Engines which quit under thesecircumstances are frequently found to

have iced-over plugs.After the engine starts. use of car-

buretor heat may assist in fuel vapori-zation until the engine obtains sufficientheat.

Radios-Should not be tuned prior tostarting.

Remoual of lce, Snow, and Frost-Acommon winter accident is trying to takeoff with frost on the wing iurf-ace. Allfrost, snow and ice must be removedbefore attempting flight. It is best toplace the aircraft in a heated hangar. Ifso, make sure the water does not runinto the control surface hinges or crev-ices and freeze when the aircraft is takenoutside. Alcohol or one of the ice re-moval compounds can also be used.

Blowing Snotu-lf. an aircraft is parkedin an area of blowing snow, specialattention shouid be given to openingsin the aircraft where snow can enter,freeze solid, and obstruct operation.These areas include: pitot tubes, heaterintakes, carburetor intakes, anti-torqueand elevator controls, and main wheeland tail wheel wells, where snow canfreeze around elevator and rudder con-trols.

Fuel Vents-Fuel tank vents should bechecked before each flight. A ventplugged by ice or snow can cause enginestoppage, collapse of the tank, and pos-sibly very expensive damage.

Taxiing-A pilot should keep in mindthat braking action on ice or snow isgenerally poor. Short turns and quickstops should be avoided. Do not taxithrough small snowdrifts or snowbanksalong the edge of the runway. Oftenthere is solid ice under the snow.

TakeoffTakeoffs in cold weather offer some

distinct advantages, but they also offersome special problems. A few points torememDer:

1. Do not overboost supercharged en-gines. This is easy to do because atvery low density altitude, the engine"thinks" it is operating as mucfi as8,000 feet below sea level in certainsituations.

Care should be exercised in oper-qting normally aspirated engines.Power output increases at about lVofor each ten degrees of temperaturebelow that of stindard air. At -40'Fan engine will develop 107o more thanrated power even though RI'M andMP limits are not exceeded.2. If the temperature rises, do notexpect the same performance fromyour aircraft as when it was operatedat the lower densitv altitudes-of coldweather.3. Use carburetor heat as required. Insome cases, it is necessary to use heatto vaporize the fuel. Gisoline doesnot vaporize readily at very cold tem-peratures.

Do not use carburetor heat in such

a manner that it raises the mixturetemperature barely to freezing or justa little below. !:' such cases, it mavbe inducing carburetor icing. An ai-curate mixture temperature gauge isa good investment for cold weatheroperation. It may be best to use car-buretor heat on takeoff in very coldweather in extreme cases.

If your aircraft is equipped with aheated pitot tube, turn it on prior totakeoff. It is wise to anticipate the lossof_ an airspeed indicator or most anyother instrument during a cold weathertakeoff----especially if the cabin sectionhas not been preheated.

ClimboutDuring climbout, keep a close watch

on head temperature gauges. Due torestrictions (baffles) to cooling air flowinstalled for cold weather operation andthe possibility of extreme temperatureinversions, it is possible to overheat theengine at normal climb speeds. If thehead temperature nears the critical stage,increase the airspeed or open the cowlflaps or both.

LandingA landing surface can be very treach-

erous in cold weather operations. Inaddition, caution is advised regardingother hazards, such as snow banks onthe sides of the runways and poorlymarked runways.

Advance information about the cur-rent conditions of the runway surfaceshould be obtained. If it is not readilyavailable, take the time to circle the fieldbefore landing to look for drifts or otherobstacles.

These articles are presented byAVEMCO in the interest of flightsafety and may be reproducedwith credit to AVEMCO In-surance company. They are pure-ly advisory in nature. Your owncertificated flight instructor, theFARs, pilot's operating handbookand various updated transmittalsfrom the FAy'r, or your aircraftmanufacturer may alter or affectthe information published.AVEMCO neither assumes anyresponsibility for the accuracy ofthese articles, not any liability aris-ing out of reliance upon thesearticles.

SOUTH CAROLINAAERONAUTICS COMMISSIONP.O. Drower 1987

Columbio. Soulh Corolino 29202

years"General aviation continues to

dramatically improve its safety recordfrom year to year," said John L. Baker.nrpsidpnt of thp 265.000-memberAOPA. "General aviation pilots con-sistently prove themselves to be responsible. safety-conscious individuals whoconstantly strive to improve and upgradetheir fhrina sLills "

Even though the 32 million hours thatgeneral aviation flew in 1985 were higherthan in 1984. fatalities fell below 1000.a record low. Baker said that this ex-emplary record "shows quite clearly thatgeneral aviation pilots are competent andproficient aviators whose contributions tothe nation's air transportation system helpmake it the saiest and the best in theworld."

New committeeto search sites inCherokee

A new airport site search committeehas been formed in Cherokee Countyafter the FAA recommended anotherlocation for the proposed facility.

Cherokee County Council ChairmanJ.R. Stroupe said last month he formedthe committee after receiving a letter fromSam Austin. manager of the FAA AtlantaAirports District Office.

Council had recently reaffirmed its intention to locate an airport near U.S 29on the Broad River. but Austin said thesite would be very expensive to developand recommended consideration of less

expensive sites.Stroupe said the committee will search

for additional sites and explore all optionsooen the the countv.

This publication ls prlnted and distributed by the South Carolina Aeronautics Commission in the interestof aviation safety and to foster growth of responsible aviation in the state. The viewpoints expressed in ar-tlcles credited to specific sources are presented as the viewpoints of those writers and do not necessarilyreflect the opinion of the South Carolina Aeronautics Commission.

BUtK EATE

Ll S POSIA(-EPAID

Coiurnbro. :l CPEAM T NO /5

General Aviation Recordssafest year in 25

General aviation pilots continued their21-year-long trend of improving safety as

evidenced by record-low accident figuresin 1985. according to statistics compiledby the National Transportation SafetyBoard.

While flying 80 percent of the nation'sflights and transporting a half million peo-ple daily, general aviation showed a ninepercent drop in last year's total accidents

compared to 1984. and a 16 percentdecrease in fatalities. ln 1985, generalaviation's fatal accident rate per 100,000aircraft hours flown 1.53-- was 30 per-cent lower than it was 10 years ago. TheAircraft Owners and Pilots Association.the nation's largest pilot organization, said

the 1985 general aviation safety recordwas the best in 25 years.