by Joseph Standley | Jul 12, 2012 | Pilots, Student Pilots
Do you know what causes carburetor ice? Many people struggle with understanding how things work when it comes to engines or mechanical things. Rather than get into pictures of a carburetor and go into complicated examples of exactly how a carburetor works, I will make it easier to understand by describing it in simple terms.
To start with, just as you need air and food to live, an engine needs air and fuel to run. The air and fuel have to get into the engine somehow. There is an opening for that called the carburetor. The carburetor has air directed into it through the holes on the front of the plane which are connected to tubes leading into the opening of the carburetor. Fuel also goes into the same opening, just as your air and food go into your mouth.
When the air and fuel are going into the engine as it should, then everything is fine. Cut off the fuel by pulling the mixture back all the way or block the air holes going into the engine and it stops running, just as you would. Now, I want you to think of the carburetor as a funnel. There’s a big opening on one end tapering off to a small opening at the other end. Air enters the big end of the funnel as it goes into the engine. As air enters into the big opening of the carburetor, it continues into the narrower end before going into the engine. As the air passes through the narrow end, it moves faster. As the air moves faster, it cools down.
Try this as an experiment; hold your hand up to your mouth. With your mouth open as if you were saying “ahhh” at the dentist, blow on your hand. You will notice that blowing on your hand with your mouth open wide produces warm air. Now do the same thing, but this time with your lips close together (restricting the opening like a funnel) like you would when you blow out candles. What you will notice is the air is moving faster and it is cooler. This is the same thing that is happening as air enters the carburetor on its way into the engine. Now wet your hand and do the same thing and it will be even cooler due to evaporation of the wet surface. When the fuel which is also going into the engine vaporizes (turns from a liquid to a gas), it causes the temperature to drop much more. This accounts for the biggest drop in temperature. The difference is that the temperature drop in the carburetor can actually drop to below freezing as the fuel vaporizes!
Now that you know a little about the carburetor and what happens with the air entering the engine through the carburetor, let’s talk about the air. Air holds moisture, just like a sponge. When the sponge gets completely soaked and can’t hold anymore, the water will fall off the sponge. The air does the same thing. When the air gets completely saturated with moisture, it rains. The temperature of the air makes a difference in how much water it can hold. Warm air can hold more water than cold air. When you bring a glass of ice water outside on a hot summer day, what happens? The glass gets wet on the outside. This happens because the ice water is making the air surrounding the glass cooler than the rest of the air. The cooler air can’t hold as much water as the surrounding warmer air. It becomes saturated and will not hold any more water so the water starts running down the side of the glass.
Put both of these together now and you have a setup for carburetor ice. On a summer day, even if it’s 70° outside you can get carburetor ice. Remember, that as the air enters the carburetor, it cools down. If the warm air coming in is holding enough humidity, the moisture will release just as it does on the glass. If the temperature in the carburetor happens to drop to below freezing temperatures, then the moisture that is forming from the temperature drop will freeze inside the opening of the carburetor. If the moisture freezes and starts to build up, it will begin to restrict the amount of air going into the engine as it blocks the opening and it will start running rough because it no longer has enough air. As the ice builds up and the opening gets smaller, an engine failure will soon follow. I hope this helps you understand things a little better. Sign up for our free newsletter for more good tips and find out more on carburetor ice and what to do if you get it in one of our future email newsletters.
by Joseph Standley | Jul 6, 2012 | Student Pilots
These E-Lessons are written in an easy to understand format, avoiding all the technical language that just confuses people. Simple, step by step instructions walk you through every step to be sure that you understand, once and for all. For the price of about 10 minutes with an instructor, you can get just the lesson you need. Why buy a whole book when you’re only struggling with one or two areas?
We have many more to come! Feel free to send us an email with areas you’d like to see covered. Click image for more details about what each lesson covers. Fly safe and never stop learning!
by Joseph Standley | Jun 25, 2012 | Student Pilots
Setting up the plane for it’s final descent and approach speed is actually pretty simple. Many instructors give students various different speeds for the different legs in the pattern, with each speed being less as they get close to final. I don’t teach this method because I feel that it gives the student more to think about.
Next time you are on downwind, look at the horizon and with your best estimate, guess how many inches the top of the instrument panel is below the horizon. Depending on how high you are sitting in the seat and what your power setting is, it may vary somehwere from 1″ – 3″. For this example we will assume that the top of the panel is 2″ below the horizon in level flight on downwind.
With that number in mind, when it’s time to throttle back, all you have to do is lower the nose about 1″. So if you were flying with the instrument panel 2″ below the horizon, you will now have it 3″ below the horizon. If you hold that pitch angle accurately the whole time, even while turning, the plane will slow down to the correct airspeed all by itself as you add flaps. You have to adjust your throttle as needed for altitude. Typically for a small 4 seat plane, the power will be 1500 – 1600 rpm.
An example in a Warrior would be 2300rpm on downwind. Just before I get even with the numbers on the runway, I power back to 1600rpm, drop the nose 1″ lower and put it a flap at the same time. Don’t allow the plane to go up when you put in the flap! Just before I turn base, I put in the next flap. Keep it trimmed in that nose low attitude after each addition of flaps. Just before turning final, I put in the last flap. If your speed is increasing while descending instead of decreasing, then your nose it a little too low. If you’re descending 1000′ per minute, then your nose is also too low. Many people end up raising the nose during the turn so be careful not to let that happen.
If you hold this position all the way around, then you will get a gradual decrease in speed while adding flaps, and end up at your final approach speed by the time you turn final. The altitude should be close too but you need to keep an eye on it and make small adjustments as needed with your throttle to maintain a good glide path. This method works great. I’m not sure how it will transfer to you in written form without a demo, but if you’re having problems controlling your speed and altitude when landing, it would be worth trying. Put the plane where it should be and everything will fall into place by itself. Have fun!
by Joseph Standley | Jun 23, 2012 | Pilots, Student Pilots
Many student pilots and even some experienced pilots get behind the airplane sometimes. What I mean by “behind” the airplane is struggling to keep up. For a student this is especially hard because there are so many things that are new to them. There are a few things that can contribute to this and I will talk about how you can not only, keep up with the airplane, but actually stay ahead of the airplane!
Let’s start on the ground. This is the best time to get your stuff together. If you’re going somewhere, then you should have all available information about your trip ready in case you need it. It starts with the planning phase. I know that not everyone plans perfectly but this post is about what you should be doing. It’s advice to make things easier and safer for you. So, we will assume that you’ve gotten a weather briefing for your trip and you have all information you need and already planned it out.
Starting with the weather, you need to assess how the weather will affect you. Is there a chance it will get worse? Is there going to be turbulence,wind shear, strong crosswinds? Thinking ahead about how all these things can affect your flight will help you stay ahead of it because you will already know how you will react to the situation. If there is a chance that IFR weather may be coming in a couple of hours after the end of your flight, did you ever consider that it may come in earlier and could interfere with your trip? If you think of that as a possibility, then you will be prepared.
What about winds? When you get the forecast winds at the destination, you can look at the airport diagram in advance and figure out which runway you may be using before you even leave. While you’re looking at the diagram, you can go through any taxiway closures and mark them on the diagram.
Getting into the airplane, lay out all the information you have in a logical order and keep everything easily accessible. I would keep my charts, airport diagrams, flight plan and paper with a pen with me. Any other things I would leave out of the way within easy reach. Load up the radio frequencies. Most planes have 2 radios and each has a standby frequency. That’s enough to load 4 frequencies. Put them in the order you will use them so it will just be a matter of pushing a button or flipping a switch to get to the next one. If you have more than 4 frequencies you will be using, then as soon as you are finished with one, put the next one in.
Once you’re on your way, keep track of your checkpoints. If you are going to being flying past checkpoints A, B, C, D and E, then once you see A, you should already be looking of B. I see many people flying to checkpoint A and waiting until they get there to start looking for B. If you know you will be flying to B after A, then start looking for it as soon as you can and don’t wait until the last minute. The farther out you see your checkpoints, the easier it will be to navigate and the more time you’ll have to enjoy the view.
While you are flying, always think to yourself “what is next?”. If you are almost there and the next thing will be landing, then you should have the weather frequency tuned in for that airport already and ready to listen to it. If you’re flying to an uncontrolled airport then you should make your first call about 10 miles out. Knowing this, you should think ahead enough to listen to the weather before that. Do it far enough out to figure out which runway the winds are favoring. If they are favoring the runway you planned for, then great, if not then you’re still ahead because you listened to the weather far enough out to figure out which runway to use and how you will enter the pattern.
Coming down final, look at the taxiways and which ones lead to the ramp. You can get a nice birds eye view of the layout and see which is the easiest way to get to where you are going while approaching from the air. You already know what to do, most people do. The problem is they wait too long to do it. If you always think of what will be next and then get ready for it and actually do it ahead of time instead of waiting until the last minute, then you will stay ahead of the plane. It’s not complicated but it may take a bit to break any habits you have. Unexpected things happen too but if you’re ahead on the other things, you won’t have as much of a workload and it will be easier for you to handle!
by Joseph Standley | Jun 20, 2012 | All Pilots, Student Pilots
How well do you know VOR’s? Do you know to intercept and track a VOR radial or use it for navigation. Can you tell by looking at your chart, which ones have DME and which don’t? Can you identify the morse code on it? If you ever get lost or disoriented they are perfect for finding your position, but would you know how to use them to figure it out? There are many student pilots that struggle with VOR’s. They can explain them perfectly on the ground but when they get in the air and start to use them, the confusion sets in. Don’t worry because private pilots have a hard time too.
Assuming that you know the basics of a VOR, let me give you a couple of tips that can make things a little easier for you when using them. Many people get the TO or FROM indicator confused and they are not sure which one they should be using. The needle will always center with a TO setting and a FROM setting, so which do you use? Tip number one: if you are going TO a VOR, then use a TO setting. To make it even easier, the ONLY time you should use a TO indication is if you are heading directly TO the VOR you are using to navigate. All the rest of the time, you will use a FROM setting.
If you want to go directly to a VOR, just center the needle with a TO setting and fly the direction indicated at the top of the VOR (plus or minus wind correction as needed to stay on course). If the course shows that you have to fly 273° to get there, then you should be heading the same general direction toward the west.
Tip number two: if you want to fly to a VOR and you KNOW the VOR is somewhere Southwest of you, then you also know to fly to it you will be flying Southwest. If you know you will be flying Southwest and that the general direction of the course indicated above the VOR should be the same, then you can expect the needle to center somewhere between South and West. If you know it will center between South and West, then spin the dial quickly to get it to South or West and then turn it slowly from there to center it. The TO indication will be automatic.
What about for those of you that don’t have a clue how to use a VOR? You’ve read books, received instruction with the same explanations as the books leaving you just as confused. You’ve heard the terms TO and FROM, Reverse Sensing, Intercepting and Tracking, etc. and you just don’t get it.
We have the perfect thing for you; an e-lesson in pdf format with detailed, plain english explanations, written in an easy to understand format, eliminating all the confusing terms to help you understand once and for all. It includes diagrams and simple explanations for better visualization. Knowing how to use VOR’s will make things easy for you and will be required if you ever want to get an instrument rating. For the price of about 10 minutes with an instructor, it’s well worth it!
VOR NAVIGATION – Detailed, easy to visualize explanations and diagrams to eliminate confusion. Intercepting and tracking and more. Just a couple of simple things to remember to avoid confusion.
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Simple Explanations for Using the VOR
Testimonial
Hi Joe,
I read through the VOR lesson today from your website. THANK YOU!
Before getting your VOR lesson, I read both the test prep and handbook sections on VOR’s from other books and could follow what they were saying but not apply it. I would take practice tests and get several of the questions wrong.
After I read your booklet, I went straight to the Gleim and ASA test prep questions. The only one I missed was because I estimated a length (NM on a chart) incorrectly. So it works! I had to go back and reread my textbook to see why I was so confused in the first place because it seemed straight forward after your description.
I think the reason I understood your method better was you described and then applied each portion of a difficult topic individually. The difference seemed to be you took each part; Radial, CDI and to/from, explained it and then immediately demonstrated how to apply it. Like–you’ve got to learn to hold altitude in level flight before you start practicing stalls with minimum altitude loss. I’m still working on that one.
Have a good week.
Lindy
by Joseph Standley | May 7, 2012 | Student Pilots
Many people think flying is dangerous but it’s not as bad as people think. You’ve probably noticed that since you’ve started training, you’ve heard about all these plane crashes and they are making you wonder whether you made the right choice to learn to fly. I was questioning it myself over 20 years ago. The fact is, there are way more car accidents than airplane crashes. The news just makes a bigger deal out of it when it happens to be a plane so it stands out more. Are you going to stop driving because of all the car accidents? Then why stop flying because of plane crashes? Planes are very reliable and the chances of anything happening to cause an accident are very slim.
The reality is, that most airplane accidents are not due to mechanical problems at all. Most are due to pilot error. Most aircraft accidents are preventable! Here’s a couple of things you can do to help ensure a long safe flying future. The main thing I would suggest is that you train to be safe. Always ask yourself if the decision you are making is adding unnecessary risk.
Do you have an appointment that you can’t miss? Are you flying there to save the driving time? What if the weather is marginal, or a little worse than what you would normally fly in? Are you going to take the chance to be sure you make that meeting? Don’t take the chance. In aviation, you have to realize that it doesn’t always go as planned and when it doesn’t, you have to be prepared to walk away! No meeting is worth your life. If you absolutely have to be there, then drive. The other thing you should do, is use FAA recommended procedures. They are there to help pilots know what to expect from other pilots and be able to anticipate their actions better. If everyone entered the traffic pattern at a 45 degree angle to the runway, we would all be able to plan better. I’ve seen planes come pretty close to each other just because someone wanted to get into the traffic pattern as soon as possible using the shortest route. He flew right in front of a guy who was climbing out after takeoff.
The shortest route is not always the safest. If you’re not going to follow recommended procedures, at least listen to what is going on so you’re not interfering with people already in the pattern! If you try to fit in and you’re going to cut someone off while doing it, at least be willing to abort the plan. Playing a game of chicken with airplanes is not a good idea. Fly safe, make decisions that are safe, follow recommended procedures and really keep an eye out for the people that don’t and you’ll enjoy many years of flying.
