Multi Engine Blog 6

I think that the two most important things that I learned about in Multi Engine Ground School were multi engine aerodynamics and control of the aircraft with an engine inoperative.  i think the aerodynamics portion is important because it allows me to understand why the controls are different with an engine Inop.  i also enjoy learning about aerodynamics.  The physical science of aviation is one f my favorite parts about flying besides the actual flying.  Learning about Single engine controls was important because it could someday save my life.  Knowing what to do and having a fast reaction that is the correct reaction in an emergency is why pilots train.  This class helped me broaden my knowledge of this.
I think Blogging was a good idea.  I usually do not like writing, however this gave me a place to reflect on what I have learned in class.  There were also a fair number of blogging assignments.  It did not seem like I had to blog about everything and it was not repetitive.
I think one of the most beneficial parts of this class was the contest.  This gave everyone in the class something to work for besides another grade.  I did not expect to win the contest, but I think I studied a little bit extra just so that I might have a chance, and even if I do not get to fly the citation my grade till reflect my work.  One thing I would change is how the exams are all at the end and one of the exams is over 1/4 of a chapter.  I think this could be spread out a bit more so that each test covers two chapters, or at the very least one full chapter.

Multi Engine Blog 5

Today I did an observation flight in N978WC.  this was my first time flying in the Seminole.  I was observing John Nadolski and Dave Atkinson.  The purpose of this flight was to practice Vmc and to practice shutting down and restarting the engine.  For the flight we flew to Tooele and started off with shutting down the engine.  I thought it was a very strange experience to see the propeller not spinning, i have never seen that while in the air before.  While the engine was shut down I thought the seemed fairly easy for Dave to control the aircraft with zero side slip, and it had better performance than I expected with only one engine. I think it will be very helpful when I am training to have seen this.  I also liked seeing the propeller restart just from increasing the blade pitch.  After that Dave did some Vmc practice.  I was glad to be there for that because having my weight cut down the arm from the CG to the tail.  when Dave reached Vmc it was because of full rudder deflection father than the stall horn.  The pitch down for the recovery was also a lot of fun.  After that we did Steep Turns.  I did not understand how these would be so difficult until I saw one for real.  the configuration of the aircraft seems like it would be very difficult to keep a reference point on the aircraft, and once you start to get off your altitude, it is hard to recover it.  After that we did Landings, which I have already experienced in the simulator, but it was nice to see them in real life.

Multi Engine Blog 4

Reading the article about the Aspen crash my first thought was they are going to get to Aspen after night.  they ended up crashing 34 minuets after sunset, 4 minutes after night.  The instrument approach at Aspen closes at night.  The pilots had 4 minutes before crashing where they should have said landing instrument is now illegal and called the approach off. 
One of the main factors that lead to the crash was weather.  If the flight had been VFR they likely would have been fine.  Another factor was pressure to complete the flight.  The pilots wanted to get their passengers to their destination for their meeting and to make the clients and boss happy rather than divert.  I think this should not have been a factor, they were past night fall and three other aircraft had gone missed before they got to the airport.  There was no reason for these pilots to expect to be able to land.  Their alternate would have been perfectly acceptable and had pretty good conditions.  No company would get mad at pilots for being safe and diverting especially considering using the instrument approach was illegal at night.  It was also partly the passengers fault they were late because they were in no hurry to takeoff.  It would not have been fair for them to be upset at diverting.  I do not think the pilots job would have been at stake in any way.
The Biggest reason they crashed was poor decision making.  There were three aircraft that went missed and they were doing the approach after night.  This should have been two big clues that they could not land.  I think the error chain began by starting the approach in the first place, they could tell they would not land until after night. It continued by not calling it off after three other aircraft went missed.  They next continued after night was official and the approach illegal, and they descended below minimums.  I think the right decision would have been to divert to the alternate before even trying to land at Aspen and give the passengers a little bit of extra time to drive to their destination.

Multi Engine Blog 3

Flying Single Pilot IFR makes me nervous, especially right now because I have not been flying IFR very much.  I think if I were more current I would be more willing to do it.  I would prefer to go somewhere where I have flown often such as Tooele or Ogden just because I would feel safer and more familiar with the area.  Even flying to an airport i have only been to a few times would be preferable.  I would also be more comfortable flying somewhere where they have a tower.  Flying in IFR conditions more would also make me more comfortable with flying SPIFR, like the article said you should get actual IFR experience with a seasoned IFR pilot before trying to do it on your own.
One thing the article said that I did not know was that when flying SPIFR for a charter flight you must have an auto pilot.  I think this is a good idea because it takes a lot of the workload off of the pilot especially when he is trying to use charts or read something.  I think it would be a good idea to do any SPIFR flight with an autopilot whether it is for a charter or not.
My favorite tip from this article is that if you cannot stay two minutes ahead of the aircraft, and if you can not do this you are not ready for SPIFR.  Staying ahead of the airplane is super important because if you get behind it you miss things and that can be fatal in VFR and even more dangerous in IFR.

Multi Engine Blog 2

After reading the article about electrical fires it seems like the best thing to do when you have an electrical fire is to put the fire out.  This seems pretty obvious to me however the article explains that all electrical systems should immediately be turned off and it explained how to turn systems back on and why.  when comparing the article to the Seminole procedures I notices they both focus on getting the fire out at fast as possible.  They also tell how to turn systems back on if needed, and they both make sure that you have the problem fixed before flying again.  For me, this reinforces that I need to turn all electrical components off right away and get the fire out.  I would then land as soon as possible.  if i had someone else flying with me i would let them attempt to turn components back on, because I would like radios, or I would do it myself if it was necessary. however my primary goal would be to land right away.  One thing i liked about the article was that is said the first indication of an electrical fire is the burning insulation smell which i imagine would smell like burning plastic, a very distinct smell.
The article also points out that many fires are caused by a short circuit, which is when electricity flows along an unintended path such as arching between wires or other conductive materials.

Multi Engine Blog 1

From this multi engine ground school class I obviously want to get a good understanding of multi engine aircraft.  Beyond that I want the class to prepare me for the flight lab and for the multi engine check ride.  I think that by completing this class a should walk away with the knowledge I need to fly multi engine aircraft.  I expect to learn all of the rules and regulations that go along with multi engine and I expect to learn operating tips and practices for these aircraft. I want to learn about the systems that are specific to multi engine aircraft and about things that I should need to know about but have not yet thought of.
I want this class to be informative, engaging, interesting and interactive. I do not want a class where I sit and stare at a PowerPoint for two hours everyday.  I understand that PowerPoint will be used often however I do not want it to be the sole means of information because it is one of the least effective means of teaching available.  I would like it if the teacher placed a strong emphasis on getting the class involved in the course.
For blogging, I expect writing my thoughts regularly to reinforce what I am learning and to give me a place where I can collect my knowledge and review my ideas.  I want writing to make this class easier and to make my experience in this class better and more educational.