Q: A friend of mine spent lots of money converting his old (1956) C-172 to a tailwheel configuration. He says it is now a Cessna 170 because that year (1956), the 172 and 170 used the same powerplant, wings, etc., but different landing gear arrangements. Is he right?
A: No. The airplane is still legally a 172, but now with modifications. Other situations sometimes confuse airplane owners. One of many is the old J-3 Piper Cub. The last couple of years in production, the airplane was legally a J-3C-65. The engine originally was a 65 HP Continental. Over time, many Cubs have been fitted with 75 and 85 HP engines. Some owners might tell you their Cub is a J-3C-75 for instance. That is not true. The airplane is still a J-3C-65 model, modified with a higher HP engine.
Q: My instructor has criticized the pilot operating handbook (POH) in some airplanes which says only use carb ice when needed. Isn’t that too late? It seems to me it would be better to use carb ice BEFORE carb ice occurs. What do you think?
A: I agree with you. During humid weather, carb ice can form quickly, sometimes even at high-power settings. Do a Google search for Carb Ice Super Cub, then see “Carb Ice, It Can Occur Quickly” to see an inflight video of carb ice accumulation. Also, Bold Method, and others, have lots of info on carb ice on the Internet. Something that cannot be emphasized enough is that IF you have carb ice, applying carb heat will usually cause your engine to run rougher as ice is melted and ingested, so you’ve got to leave it on until normal power resumes.
Q: What are visibility hazards associated with night landings during the fall?
A: A good question, and something I have personally experienced. In the fall, it is common to have a bit of ground fog after sunset. When you overfly a runway at night, you may see a few wisps of fog over the runway and not be overly concerned. But when you are on short final and starting to flare, you can lose most of your visibility. The reason is, when you are looking straight down at the runway from above, you may be looking through perhaps 10 feet of fog/clouds, which the runway lights can easily be seen through. But on landing, you are looking almost horizontally forward as you begin your landing flare, now looking thru several hundred feet of clouds.
Q: What is a trim tab stall? How can it happen? I have never heard of it.
A: During final approach to land, some pilots may adjust their elevator trim tab to full nose up to allow a nearly effortless landing. But if you start a takeoff with the elevator trim still full nose up, there may be a strong nose-up pitch immediately after liftoff. To experience this safely, get a good instructor, climb to a safe altitude, then slow the airplane to just above stall with power at idle. If you suddenly add power, the nose may pop up quickly into a stall, which can be fatal if occurring just at lift-off.
Q: You have preached that a pilot should know what the engine gauges should indicate on takeoff at full power. Why? If the engine is running smoothly, why should a pilot check the gauges?
A: If your engine is not quite developing full power but running smoothly, you may not realize you have suffered some loss of power. Possible causes are many, but may include carb ice, a possible obstruction in the exhaust system, partially plugged fuel system, or something else. You can tell power loss with RPMs slightly less than normal with a fixed pitch prop, or with a constant speed prop, a slight loss in manifold pressure. If you notice less than normal power gauge indications with a smooth-running engine, immediately stop the takeoff roll and investigate.
Q: I’ve heard that most CFIs are young folks with low total time, trying to build time to advance their aviation careers. Is this true? Wouldn’t an older pilot with more real-world experience be a better instructor?
A: Yes, and yes in my opinion. A flight instructor could be subject to liability lawsuits by a student pilot following an accident, but young folks often don’t have much net worth for ambulance chasers to go after. Another issue is that low-time instructors probably have not experienced issues like partial engine failure, nose wheel shimmy, loss of brakes on landing, a cowling coming loose in flight, and lots more issues like these, which may eventually occur in a pilot’s career.
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