Pilots who have not yet traded in their paper pilot certificates have until March 31, 2010, when the paper certificates are set to expire. If you’re still using paper, don’t delay. Pilots can no longer exercise the privileges of their paper pilot certificates after the March 31 deadline. Student certificates are not affected and certain non-pilot certificates, such as those issued to AMTs, are still valid for three more years before they need to be replaced.
 
Renewing a certificate can be done online or through the mail, and instruction can be found at:  http://www.faa.gov/licenses_certificates/airmen_certification/certificate_replacement/. Requesting a replacement certificate online requires creating an account with Airman Certification Online Services, which only takes a few minutes. Being registered can help you in the future with quicker processing of an address change or a replacement certificate request.
 
To process a request by mail, fill out and send in Form 8060-56 (10/09)—see above link—along with a $2 replacement fee. Make your check payable to FAA. New certificates will take four to six weeks to arrive with mail processing and seven to ten days for online processing.  

Congratulations A J on passing your Private Pilot checkride, and getting your new airplane. Now it's time to start working on the Instrument Rating! Way to go!!!

I would like to invite you to the SAGAPA group. If you are a pilot, or even considering  becoming a pilot this is a great place to meet some very interesting aviators. From WW11 fighter pilots, retired General with air combat in multiple conflicts, a regular GA pilot who with 30 years flying, to  student pilots. There all here! Come on out and join us, membership is free  

Dedicated to safety and the spread of information to help all pilots - especially General Aviation Pilots.  SAGAPA meets monthly to discuss current events, review information on flying in the San Antonio area, and provide safety training. We meet at Hallmark Jet Center 8901 Wetmore Road on the first Wednesday of each month starting at 7:00 P.M There is an email reminder list if you would like to be added send me an email and I will make sure you are placed on the list.

July 21, 2009

There are not a lot of details yet, but the new motor glider at 5C1 has gone down. Thankfully the Pilot is safe. The pilot was retired military who had received countless hours training. From the report I've seen he was calm and collected during the mishap. Once he realized he was unable to recover he pulled the on board parachute. I will post more details once we get an official accident report.

June 23 2009

A Cessna 210 crashed after losing an engine, both the pilot and CFI walked away.

What would the news paper say if it had happened to you? When was the last time you practiced emergency procedure? What is best glide in your plane? What...you don’t remember? The Pilot told me he probably would not be here now if he had been alone. I disagree. While you are training is usually when most pilots are most proficient. The Student pilot flew the plane all the down. He was capable of handling the emergency. How well would you do? After seeing this aircraft I was amazed no one was hurt. The fuselage had remained intact, and protected them. If you are not 100% sure you could handle the emergency, call today and lets go review, and help you get your proficiency back. Know you can handle it, don't find out by accident you cannot.     
June 18 2009

Density altitude, so what's the big deal? We a lot of talk about DA, but do you really understand it? Especially for us lucky folks who live at a low MSL. 809 feet at San Antonio. 8000' runway, what's the problem, right? First lets look at some definitions.

Indicated Altitude is the altitude shown on the altimeter.

True Altitude is height above mean sea level (MSL).

Absolute Altitude is height above ground level (AGL).

Pressure Altitude is the indicated altitude when an altimeter is set to 29.92 in Hg (1013 hPa in other parts of the world). It is primarily used in aircraft performance calculations, and in high altitude flight.

Density Altitude is formally defined as " pressure altitude corrected for non-standard temperature variations." but is best defined as DENSITY ALTITUDE IS THE ALTITUDE THE AIRPLANE THINKS IT IS AT, AND PERFORMS IN ACCORDANCE WITH.

So Now you still may be saying so what, does it really matter? the important thing to understand is that DA is an indicator of aircraft performance. The term comes from the fact that the density of the air decreases with altitude. A "high" DA means that air density is reduced, which has an adverse effect on aircraft performance. The published performance  in the POH is generally based on standard atmospheric conditions at sea level (Remember Standard cond.? 59 F (15C) and 29.92 inches of mercury). Your aircraft will not perform according to "book numbers" unless the conditions are the same as those used to develop the published performance. If, for example, an airport whose elevation is 500 MSL has a reported DA of 5,000 feet, aircraft operating in and out of that airport will perform as if the airport elevation was 5,000. HMMM what would that do to your 172?

Hi DA means less air. The atmosphere is less dense. The two primary gases are Nitrogen 78% and Oxygen 21% oxygen is just a little important to our internal combustion engine, take away some of the fuel (the air) you create less power. Keep in mind too, that with those gas particles we have no lift. So if we have less air, we have less lift! This is why we take longer to get off the runway on a high DA day. 

what are the three factors that contribute to high DA:

High Altitude. Seems this is an obvious one. The higher the altitude, the less dense the air. Less air pressure at higher altitude allows the air to spread out. In the Western United States, high temperatures sometimes have such an effect on DA that safe operations are impossible. In such conditions, operations between midmorning and midafternoon can become hazardous

Temperature. The warmer the air, the less dense it is. When the temperature rises above the standard temperature for a particular place, the density of the air in that location is reduced, and the DA increases. When performance is in question, It is best schedule operations during the cool hours of the day, early morning or late afternoon

Humidity. Humidity is not generally considered a major factor in DA, because the effect of humidity is related to engine power rather than aerodynamic efficiency. At high ambient temperatures, the atmosphere can retain a high water vapor content. For example, at 96 F, the water vapor content of the air can be eight times as great as at 42F. High DA and high humidity do not always go hand-in-hand. However, if high humidity does exist, it is wise to add 10 percent to your computed takeoff distance and anticipate a reduced climb rate.

Whether due to high altitude, high temperature, or both, reduced air density (DA) adversely affects aerodynamic performance, and decreases the horsepower output of the engine. Takeoff distance, power available (in normally aspirated engines), and climb rate are all adversely affected. Landing distance is affected as well: while the indicated airspeed remains the same, the true airspeed increases. From the pilot's point of view, therefore, an increase in DA results in:

Increased takeoff distance.

Reduced rate of climb

Increased true airspeed (but same IAS) on approach and landing.

Increased landing roll distance.

Because high DA has particular implications for takeoff/climb performance and landing distance, pilots must be sure to determine the reported DA, and check the appropriate aircraft performance charts carefully during preflight preparation. A pilot's first reference for aircraft performance information should be the operational data section of the Aircraft Owner's Manual or the Pilot's Operating Handbook developed by the aircraft manufacturer. In the example given above, the pilot may be operating from an airport at 500 MSL, but he or she must calculate performance as if the airport were located at 5,000 feet. A pilot who is complacent or careless in using the charts may find that DA effects create an unexpected - and unwelcome - element of suspense during takeoff and climb, or during landing.

If the AFM/POH is not available, use the Koch Chart (see below) to calculate the approximate temperature and altitude adjustments for aircraft takeoff distance and rate of climb.

At power settings of less than 75 percent, or at DA above 5,000 feet, it is also essential to lean normally aspirated engines for maximum power on takeoff (unless the aircraft is equipped with an automatic altitude mixture control). Otherwise, the excessively rich mixture is another detriment to overall performance.

"Rule of Thumb" Chart The chart below illustrates a "rule of thumb" example of temperature effects on DA. 
 Density Altitude "Rule of Thumb" Chart 



STD TEMP   ELEV/TEMP   80F      90F       100F       110F      120F     130F  
   59F        Sea Level    1200    1900       2500      3200      3800      4400 

   52F          2000         3800     4400      5000       5600      6200     6800 

   45F          4000         6300     6900      7500       8100      8700     9400 

 
  38F           6000        8600      9200      9800     10400     11000    11600 

 
  31F          8000       11100     11700      12300    12800    13300    13800 

Koch Chart
To find the effect of altitude and temperature, connect the temperature and airport altitude by a straight line. Read the increase in take-off distance and the decrease in rate of climb from standard sea level values.

Example: The diagonal line shows that 230% must be added for a temperature of 100 degrees and a pressure altitude of 6,000 feet. Therefore, if your standard temperature sea level take-off distance, in order to climb to 50 feet, normally requires 1,000 feet of runway, it would become 3,300 feet under the conditions shown. In addition, the rate of climb would be decreased 76%. Also, if your normal sea level rate of climb is 500 FPM, it would become 120 FPM.

This chart indicates typical representative values for "personal" airplanes. For exact values, consult your airplane flight manual. This chart may be conservative for airplanes with supercharged engines. Also, A soft field take-off can double your take-off distance.

What does a plane crash due to DA look like, look here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gOaAZ1i2gNA

Another rule of thumb. An accurate rule of thumb (usually any error will be less than 200-300 feet) for determining the density altitude is easy to remember. For each 10-degrees Fahrenheit above standard temperature at any particular elevation, add 600 feet to the field elevation. (And, conversely for each 10-degrees F below standard temperature, subtract 600 feet from the field elevation.)

There are a lot of pilot who become complacent about doing their performation charts. Make sure you always include these in your preflight, dont make that mistake of thinking, I've done it before it will be ok. Part of this report was produced from information from the FAASTEAM website. If you have not been there its a must for all pilot. There is a wealth of knowledge in the library section. Check it out, See the link on the resources page. The charts and rule of thumbs listed here, are not to be used for official preflight planning, always use your AFM/POH that is specific to your aircraft.