|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| [Home] [Field Reports] [Send us a report] [Flight Planning] [Things they never taught us] |
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
The idea behind this page is to provide practical information for UK pilots - things which are either essential or just plain useful but which are not always widely known. Do you have any tips that may be useful for other pilots? Just because you have been doing something for years doesn't mean that it is common knowledge - so if you have any indespensible information particularly in regard to flight planning please send your "Things they never taught us" to me by e-mail.
THINGS THEY NEVER TAUGHT US:
What do you do when are away from an airfield, fax machine or computer and you need the MET? You can always phone your destination airfield, but what if you have a need for weather en-route as well? The Met ofice in Bracknell will give you TAFS and METARS for any airport over the phone - 0344 856237 (p.s. it's Free!)
If you are away from an airfield, fax machine or computer and you need to file a flightplan? Heathrow will accept flight plans VFR or IFR on 0208 745 3111 If you can fax it, which is the preferred method - then the fax number is 0208 745 3491 Money back on your trips abroad! - Fuel Duty Drawback
If the thought of fresh pastries, cheap wine, and the opportunity to put a foreign field in your logbook are not enough enticement for you to venture across the channel, well how about money back on your flying? It doesen't matter how much fuel you actually use on the journey - just as long as you export it in your tanks on the way out. So fill up prior to your departure and you will recieve a useful dividend back on your trip.
Please note the following: Do watch your weight and balance. Both on the way out and on the way back (if you are taking off at max gross weight for a short hop across the channel are you going to burn off enough weight to bring back the wine and beer that you have bought?) It would be false economy to squeeze in an extra 50 Litres for the drawback payment only to end up in a hedge at the end of the runway! Although you can claim drawback on all the fuel in your tanks, it must be UK duty paid fuel to begin with, so if your aircraft has just returned from abroad it may have fuel which has already been subject to a claim on board, or alternatively fuel which has been loaded outside of the UK. In each case you cannot claim on that element of the fuel, so check this before you claim. If you are unsure the easiest way is to top the tanks (subject to Weight and Balance above) and claim for just that which you have purchased prior to departure. You will need a form HO60 from Customs and Excise. Your airfield will probably them available. Once you have completed the form (which can be done after you return from your trip - it does not need to be filled out at the time).Forward your completed forms to:
HM Customs and Excise - Mineral Oil Reliefs A cheque should arrive in about 3-4 weeks. Watch your Fuel Here's one I overheard at the airfield cafe: If you fly an aeroplane with left and right tanks, when do you switch? Instead of using specific waypoints or timing each tank a simple answer is to use whichever tank is on the same side as the minute hand on your watch face. Sort of a semi circular rule of Fuel Management. Simple! (Unless you have a digital watch...) A rule of thumb Bend your thumb at right angles at the knuckle joint. Measure the length from the knuckle to the tip using a plotter rule. Memorise the distance. (I have an 8 Nm Thumb!) Use this to quickly measure approximate distance on charts. Crossing VOR Radials If you want to orientate yourself when passing abeam a radial, and you have a standard CDI (rather than an HSI) then an easy way to do this is: FROM LEFT TO RIGHT and FROM RIGHT TO LEFT If the VOR will be passing to your LEFT, set the radial you will be crossing FROM the VOR on your indicator. It will indicate LEFT before you pass the radial and RIGHT afterwards... i.e. If the beacon is on the LEFT, the indicator goes FROM LEFT to RIGHT. If the VOR is on the right, again, set the radial you will be crossing FROM the VOR, this time the needle goes FROM RIGHT to LEFT. To understand this rule it may help to sketch the position of the aircraft, the VOR, and the various indications.
Pen Pushing Mark a pen or pencil with 5nm Divisions on the scale of the charts you use. Mark the other side in a different colour with 5 minute intervals at your usual cruise speed, again at the same scale as the charts you use. Next time ATC ask your distance from a place, or your estimated time to a boundary, use the pen on your chart to quickly come up with the answer. Also: Secure your pen to your kneeboard with a piece of string long enough to write with but short enough not to tangle everywhere. Next time you drop your pen just pull it back by the string. Map Folding Here's a method of map folding originally posted by Duncan MacKillop. Works very nicely when its finished producing a neat, compact and easily manipulated map. Tips.. Practice on a sheet of A4 first (stuff on one side, blank on the other) Buy a nice shiny new chart from AFE so that you don't get your old and new folds mixed up. Break the back of all the folds, i.e. make the fold one way and then turn the sheet over and make it the other way, this helps the finished chart to lie flatter. Finish each fold by running along it with a lump of plastic, this makes a fold a fold, not a bend. Give yourself plenty of room on a nice big table and get a pal to help you keep the folds from going wonky. Be prepared to modify the instructions for charts that are taller than they are wide, Scottish chart for example. If you never want to look at the key panel across the bottom of the chart, simply fold it back out of the way and treat the remaining area as per the following instructions. If you get it right you will end up with three horizontal and seven vertical folds. Right, if you're ready here we go. Fold 1. with the chart printed side down, fold the two longest edges of the chart together so that you get a nice fold running east west along the middle. Fold 2 & 3. Open out the chart and fold the lower edge up to the centre fold, repeat for the top edge. You should now have three horizontal folds running east west across the chart. (If you haven't, give up and go down the pub!) Fold 4, 5 & 6. Open out the chart and repeat the previous process, only this time make the folds north south. You should now have three horizontal and three vertical folds dividing the chart up into sixteen little squares. (Fun isn't it) All of the remaining folds will be north south. Fold 7. Open out the chart printed side down and take the lefthand edge and position it on the first fold in from the righthand side. Take a soft pencil and write "not this one dummy" along the resulting fold (You'll see why next). Fold 8. Open out the chart again and repeat step seven again only this time from the other end. By writing along the previous fold it will hopefully stop you making fold 8 in the wrong place! Remember to fold the edge to the FIRST fold at the other end. You should now have five vertical and three horizontal folds, if not, the pub option will apply. Fold 9 & 10. Open out the chart and fold the lefthand edge in to the first fold on the lefthand side. Repeat for the righthand edge to the first fold on the righthand side. You should now have completed all seven vertical and three horizontal folds and all the vertical holds will be the same distance apart. No? ...Pub! Final assembly. Open the chart out flat on the table printed side down and fold the top and bottom segments into the middle. Turn the chart over with the open edges away from you. Starting with the top fold, make the first fold away from you. Next fold towards you, next away and so on until you have a series of concertina folds. Open the folds out between the second and third peaks of the concertina, turn it through 90 degrees and fold the top away from you. The job is now finished (yipeee). To use, flip the chart open so that there is an equal number of concertinas each side and page left and right through the concertinas to see the centre portion of the chart. To see the upper and lower portions of the chart, flip it over towards you and page left and right through the concertinas. |
|
|
|
| [Home] [Field Reports] [Send us a report] [Flight Planning] [Things they never taught us] |