Sydney Flyer Pilot Anxiety - Sydney Flying Club
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Sydney Flyer Page ! 1
Sydney Flyer
Feb/Mar 2019 Volume 5 Issue 5
Pilot Anxiety
Multitasking Milestones and
Dead Ends
Sydney Flyer Page ! 2
From the President
Happy new year and may 2019 be your best Christmas Party 2018
flying year yet!
We finished 2018 with a great Christmas party
at North Bondi RSL on 15 December — more
than 50 club and staff members attended. We all
enjoyed a fantastic social event complemented by
good food and drinks.
In January, our first major event of the year
was the official launch of the Club’s Cirrus
aircraft — over 40 were in attendance. Instructor
Mitchell Markovic gave a comprehensive,
professional presentation in front of the aircraft. !
Later, I enjoyed giving a presentation in the
lecture room to around 30 highly enthusiast
members. Seventeen members signed up for
Harbour Scenic TIFs in the Cirrus at special
promotional rates. One lucky member,
Graham Attridge, won a free Harbour Scenic
TIF in the Cirrus. I must say that we enjoyed
seeing so many new members at the event.
Thanks go to Dan Casuscelli for his excellent
organisation of both events and to Mohammed !
Swiesah for his assistance with the barbecue
during the Cirrus Launch.
We have some great events coming up. In
March for the first time we are organising a
flyout to the biannual Australian International
Airshow at Avalon in Victoria. This is the must
see Australian air show featuring high
performance aircraft. You can choose either the
option of hotel/motel at Ballarat with travel to
Avalon via rental car or the camping option at
!
Avalon itself. TAFE/College student members
doing their CPL can incorporate the event in
their training as CPL hour building.
If you can’t make the Avalon airshow, we’ll be
organising another flyout to the Hunter Valley
Airshow in April. We are also arranging an
opportunity to visit Sydney Centre ATC,
hopefully in May, so you can see who is at the
other end of your communications.
Amir Hyster, President !
Sydney Flyer Page ! 3
Destination
Jindabyne
Frank Peronace
Aircraft Landing Areas (ALA’s) provide an Well, in truth we didn’t just set off. There was
exciting opportunity for private pilots to spice up quite a bit of prep work to do before we even
their flying experiences. They are usually in very thought of heading for the airport.
beautiful locations, not as busy as a normal The first thing to do, is get as much info on
registered aerodrome, each provides its unique your destination as possible. This can be difficult
set of experiences, and each comes also with its with some ALA’s as not all have ERSA entries;
own set of challenges, that if not taken seriously, some don’t even appear in the Country Airstrips
would most certainly bite you. Guide (CAG). If all else fails, do a google search.
Of all the ALA’s that I have been aspiring to Fortunately, YJIN had entries in both
visit for some time, Jindabyne (YJIN) has been at publications, and from these we obtained the
the top of my list. However, there has always following information:
been apprehension to flying to this location, as it
nestles in the hills just at the foot of the Snowy RWY 12/30 is Unrated Gravel and RWY 09/27
Mountains and has all the mountain weather is Grass. CAG goes further and informs us that
complications to throw at you, not to mention the strips are 850m and 800m in length
issues with terrain and altitude. I have heard of respectively.
several horror stories of flights that have not This was confirmed by a measurement on
fared well, but also many great stories of the Google Earth (or maps.six.nsw.gov.au), showing
reward of meeting the challenge and succeeding. RWY 12/30 at 858m. However, we noticed a
So on a bright and sunny February day, myself grass overrun on both ends of RWY 12/30 on the
and John Davis, one of the partners in my aircraft satellite image, making a total runway length of
syndicate, arm ourselves with a great deal of 1000 m. We did not pursue any further info on
enthusiasm, an Instrument Rating each, and an the grass runway as we had made up our minds
excellent Cirrus SR22 G5 Australis, then set off that we would not be landing on the grass until
to see how difficult and challenging a flight to we did an actual walk inspection of the surface.
YJIN could prove to be. The ERSA stated right hand circuits on RWY
30, and implied left hand on 12.
Sydney Flyer Page ! 4
Both give a phone number and a web address We decided to check the Jindabye Aero Club
for the Jindabyne Aero Club for further info. website and found a mountain (pardon the pun)
of information on it. Again under the pilot
ERSA Cautions:
briefing page, they warn of the mountain
• Animal hazards exist weather, and to expect strong sink on RWY 30
• High ground to the west and severe to extreme turbulence in the
Jindabyne Valley when the wind is over 25 knots
• TWR southern side of the airfield
from the NW to SW (ie from 225°M to 315°M),
• Model aircraft operating in the vicinity and do not recommend an approach to the
• Severe turbulence in westerly wind Jindabyne area under these conditions. Clearly,
conditions this is a location not to be trifled with!
Not much to go on, but the CAG provided As if all this wasn’t bad enough, there is
more comprehensive info and warnings: mountain wave rotor activity under these
conditions in the valley and over the lake.
“Beware mountains. Beware severe rolling
turbulence and sink. Operations not What did all this mean? We have all heard of
recommended when wind speed is above 25 these phenomena during our training, especially
knots from all westerly directions, especially in theory, but here we had it in practice.
north west. Runway 12/30 variable slope 1.5% Thankfully, they have an excellent document on
up to the west. Runway 09-27 variable slope up their website called “Flying the Snowies in
to the west exceeds 2%, does not comply with Strong Winds” and is a must read for anyone
CAAP 92-1. Recommend one way use, take off to aspiring to fly anywhere near this area. It
the east, land to the west due terrain. Beware of explains in great details the effects of wind on
model aircraft. Animal hazard, kangaroos mountain topography and how to avoid its
especially early morning and late afternoon” pitfalls, and what to best do if caught out.
Looks like with this info, we had some work to John went ahead and rang the YJIN Aero Club
do! and spoke to the CFI. By the way, this is a must
Sample diagram from “Flying the Snowies in Strong Winds”
Sydney Flyer Page ! 5
do for a visit to any ALA. You must ring ahead stations, so be sure to check this before you go
and speak to the relevant person and get the on to any destinations, especially ALA’s as they
current conditions of the strip and all the local do not have the luxury of TAF’s.
knowledge they can give you. You will be very So we had all the info we needed on YJIN,
glad you did. including an onsite weather station to refer to.
The CFI confirmed most of what we had We were ready to go? No, not quite yet. Being an
already read up on, but did go on to say that on a ALA (or indeed any airport, especially an
good day, landing at YJIN is no more challenging unfamiliar one), it was time to do some
than any other ALA, and fun to do. All we performance calculations for our aircraft and see
needed to do was to be very aware of what the if we could land and take off safely.
weather was doing, especially wind direction and As we have already decided, landing would be
speed. To be perfectly safe, any novice to YJIN on the gravel runway 12/30, 850 m of gravel, but
should ensure that they don’t attempt a landing 1000 m worst case including the grass overruns.
where winds are over 15 knots from the west. According to the ERSA and CAG, RWY 30 has a
How does one do that, when the nearest TAF is 1.5% slope uphill (or downhill on RWY 12). The
Cooma? The YJIN club website states there is no ERSA also recommends taking off to the East
AWIS at Jindabyne and that the Cooma AWIS and landing to the West.
will generally report wind strength from 5%-25% The Cirrus Pilot Operating Handbook (POH)
below actual strength at YJIN. However, we publishes a Landing Distance Table (we were
didn’t feel comfortable with this rule of thumb. using the one for 100% flaps) at worst case 3600
Again, the phone call to the CFI paid off in lbs. There were also the following adjustments
spades, as he also gave us the contact number to that could be made:
a fellow Cirrus pilot who hangars his aircraft at
YJIN, and wouldn’t you know it, he installed an Headwind: Subtract 10% for each 13 knots
online weather station outside his hangar, for up headwind.
to the minute weather data on the airport! Tailwind: Add 10% for each 2 knots tailwind up
to 10 knots.
Sloped Runway - Increase table distances by
27% of the ground roll distance for each 1% of
downslope. Decrease table distances by 9% of
the ground roll distance for each 1% of upslope.
Dry Grass: Add 20% to Ground Roll
Wet Grass: Add 60% to Ground Roll
Not knowing the conditions that we would
have once we got there (as mountain weather
can change quite suddenly) we decided to carry
out some Go/No-go scenarios. The first thing to
do is to work out what columns and rows to use
in the POH Landing Distance Table.
Sample of Weatherlink Report What was our pressure altitude? The Cooma
(not on actual flight date) TAF (being the nearest TAF) showed a QNH of
This is available to the public at 1023 at the time we were expected to arrive
www.weatherlink.com. Indeed if you browse the (remembering that although we had the onsite
Weatherlink Station Map page on this site, you Weatherlink capability, that was an at the
will see hundreds of such online weather moment condition report, not a forecast).
Sydney Flyer Page ! 6
The altitude of YJIN is 3400 ft, therefore the similar direction, 150/8. Well, the winds were
pressure altitude is easily worked out by: coming from the East, so we did not have to
worry about the cautions we received about
Pressure Altitude = Airfield Elevation +
strong winds from the west, although, the ERSA
[(1013 – QNH) *30]
did say that landing to the West was preferred.
3400 + [(1013-1023)*30) This could mean landing with a tailwind.
3400 +(-300) Therefore, if we were to land on RWY 30, we
would need to add 10% for each 2 knots of
3100
tailwind, up to a maximum of 10 knots. We
decided to go worst case and do the sums for a
10 knot tailwind on RWY 30, and returned 2490
ft (1660 + 50% ). Since RWY 30 had a 1.5%
slope up, we could decrease the distance by
13.5%, therefore 2154 ft.
However, what if we were to land on RWY 12
with its downward slope, would it be better or
worse?
Once again, 1383 + 20% for Dry Grass = 1660
ft.
We could subtract about 8% for 10 knots of
headwind = 1527 ft
But, we had to add 41% due to the downward
1.5% slope of RWY 12 = 2153!
Seeing that both scenarios returned the same
figure, we opted to follow the ERSA and land on
RWY 12, unless of course there were others in
the circuit landing on the opposite runway. As
mentioned before, YJIN RWY 12/30 is 850 m in
length or 2159 ft, but with both ends of the grass
overruns, would be 2540 ft, so we were
comfortable that we could complete a successful
landing based on these figures.
As far as take off calculations were concerned,
we would definitely follow the wind and the
ERSA and take off on RWY 12. The POH has this
to say about sloping runways on take off:
The temperature forecast for the time of arrival Sloped Runway - Increase table distances by
was to be 22°C, but we opted to go worst case 22% of the ground roll distance at Sea Level,
and use the 30°C Column. 30% of the ground roll distance at 5000 ft, 43%
of the ground roll distance at 10,000 ft for each
Thus the Ground Roll from the table would be
1% of upslope. Decrease table distances by 7% of
1383 ft. We decided to add 20% for Dry Grass
the ground roll distance at Sea Level, 10% of the
(the closest we assumed to gravel), - 1660 ft.
ground roll distance at 5000 ft, and 14% of the
The Cooma TAF forecasted winds at 170/8. ground roll distance at 10,000 ft for each 1% of
The current onsite conditions showed winds of a downslope.
Sydney Flyer Page ! 7
The table showed a ground roll of 1620 ft, conditions be not what is expected on arrival at
increasing to 1944 ft for the Dry Grass YJIN.
allowance, decreasing to 1807 ft for the At Bankstown, with John in the left hand seat
headwind component, and further decreasing by and me doing FO duties, we receive our ATIS for
about 12% for the downward slope to 1590 ft. RWY11C and proceed to the run up bay. We
We would start our takeoff from the grass receive a swift clearance from Bankstown Ground
overrun, therefore we had nearly 1000 ft more and soon we are climbing out on the Bankstown
than what we needed at gross max weight 8 Standard Instrument Departure (SID) to
(which we were not). 3,000ft. BK8 SID on RWY 11C is quite simple:
According to the POH, there was even room in
• Track 111° (basically runway heading)
our calculations to allow us to operate the air
conditioner on takeoff (add 100 ft)! • At 500ft, turn LEFT, track 290°
• Do not go above 1500ft until established on
the 290° track
• Contact Sydney Departures on 118.4 when
advised by Tower (in our case, passing 2,000ft)
Things are running smoothly, and upon
handover to Sydney Departures, we receive the
instruction to track direct to CORDO upon
reaching 3000 ft, and thence to continue our
climb to 5000 ft whilst we wait to clear some
overhead traffic from Sydney Airport (YSSY).
So finally, we are ready to go!
Using AvPlan, we file an IFR flight plan via
Cooma, with Cooma as an alternate should Things are running smoothly
Sydney Flyer Page ! 8
Adjacent Wedderburn, we are cleared to
10,000ft and commence our climb, reaching our
cruising altitude at just past CORDO after
passing through a layer of cloud.
A very beauKful Lake Jindabyne
And that was it! Simple!
Yes, it was simple, and as confirmed by the CFI
of the Jindabyne Aero Club, on a good day,
Just past CORDO aDer passing through landing at YJIN should be no more challenging
a layer of cloud
than landing anywhere else and should be a
pleasant, fun experience. And this was a very
good day!
You will note that most of this article was more
about the preparation of the flight, and all the
information required to be gathered to ensure
you are not caught by surprise, when the Snowy
Mountains are in the mood to catch you by
surprise. We were well prepared, with go around
decision points along the approach, circuit and
Cooma Airport from TOD (10,000D) landing, and of course an alternate to Cooma
Airport should things look really messy. We had
The remainder of the cruise is fairly uneventful, all the weather information, including an onsite
until we reach our top of descent (TOD) at weather station that we monitored all the way
approximately abeam Cooma. We carry out our through the descent.
TOD checklist, and commence an easy cruise
descent to arrive into the YJIN Circuit at 5,000 ft The moral of this story? Get out there and
(YJIN Elevation is 3400) so we can overfly it and tackle that challenging ALA, but first make sure
check the airfield, especially the windsocks. you have covered every possible condition that
can be thrown at you, and have several options
Although we had read in our research that should things not go your way. Chances are, they
RWY12 is the preferred runway, the locals are will go your way and you will have a great sense
using RWY30, which makes sense according to of satisfaction, but you will be fully prepared if
the wind direction when we arrive. they do not.
We do a right circuit for RWY30 at 5000 ft over
a very beautiful Lake Jindabyne, descending to
circuit height as we turn base (due terrain) and By Frank Peronace
continue a smooth descent to the runway
threshold.
Mr Davis pulls off a textbook dirt strip landing,
making me green with envy! Good on you John!
Sydney Flyer Page ! 9
Pilot Anxiety
Three Ways to Overcome It
Sarah Fri.s
I recommend this article by Actually, what I really want to know is: have
Sarah Fritts, one impressive you ever NOT had this feeling?
pilot. For more, subscribe to I have a sneaking suspicion some of you have
her website, see details at the probably never felt completely comfortable in an
end of the article. aircraft. I want to offer a couple of suggestions
Barry Ellis, Safety Manager for anxious pilots.
Solution #1:
Do you get anxious in the cockpit? You aren’t Fly four days in a row.
alone. Even experienced pilots feel
uncomfortable at times. That’s right, I want you to schedule some time
and make it a priority to fly four days in a row.
This past week I flew the Q400 again after 6
weeks off. By the end of the four days you will feel like a
million bucks. You will finally understand what it
Have you ever come back to flying after 6 feels like to be comfortable in the aircraft.
weeks off? It’s not pretty.
If you nickel-and-dime your aviation training
I was “behind the aircraft” most of the flight. I you will feel perpetually anxious and
had tunnel vision and fixation. I also had a overwhelmed.
slightly uncomfortable feeling the whole time. To
be clear, I was never unsafe, and I remembered I want you to know what it’s like to fell calm in
about 90% of the procedures I was supposed to. the aircraft and flying multiple days in a row is
Had the FAA been in the jump seat, I would have the only way to capture that feeling. If you never
passed no problem. feel comfortable in the aircraft, you probably
won’t stick with aviation.
But, I felt a little out of control and I wasn’t
able to get far enough ahead of the aircraft to feel So, do yourself a favor and go fly as many days
comfortable. in a row as you can. You need to know what real
proficiency feels like.
Have you guys ever had this feeling?
Where the anxiety comes from:
Sydney Flyer Page ! 10
I argue it’s not your hour level that creates As a GA pilot you could probably get away with
anxiety in the aircraft, it’s lack of currency. 30 hours every 6 months. If you fly anything less
than 30 hours in 6 months, you can expect that
You see, I have almost 400 hours in the Q400. I
anxiety to stick around for a long time.
have flown over 500 hours in the past year, and I
have over 2500 hours. I don’t have a ton of time, Also, if you have gone more than 30 days you
but I am a fairly experienced aviator. should consider your “risk level” to be
substantially higher. Make sure you aren’t doing
But, I still got anxious on that flight after 6
anything difficult on that first flight.
weeks. I was rusty and slightly out of my league
for that first and second flight. Go shake the rust off and then carry
passengers.
I want to destroy the myth that your hour level
makes you feel comfortable, it’s not. No, this isn’t an FAA regulations, this is just
Sarah’s opinion on how not to crash an aircraft.
It’s currency in the specific aircraft.
In the Army we have to fill out a risk
Don’t get me wrong, experience is important.
assessment sheet every flight. Lack of currency
But, all it does is reduce the amount of time it
by the Pilot in Command always drives the risk
takes of feel comfortable after a break.
level up. Sometimes the lack of currency gets so
I also want to point out that it’s not whether high we can’t do the flight and the PIC has to do
you have flown, because I flew the King Air in a separate flight before we can do the mission.
that six-week period, it’s whether you have flown
in that particular aircraft. Solution #3
The NTSB lists the number of hours accident If you can’t afford to fly that often, then your
pilots have in the aircraft they crash. I noticed only option is to fly with an experienced co-pilot.
when high time pilots crash it is usually in It doesn’t have to be an instructor pilot either.
aircraft they have very little time in. Flying with another pilot is a phenomenal way
So again, hour level doesn’t mean anything if to alleviate stress and anxiety. Two is always
you don’t have a lot of experience and currency better than one in the aircraft!
in that particular aircraft. It is so helpful to have someone double-check
your work and catch those radio calls you
Solution #2 missed.
I also have another suggestion taken right from
Let’s face it: even experienced aviators will get
Army regulations: if you go more than 60 days
the willies flying alone when they have spent
without flying, your next flight needs to be with
their career flying with a crew (like me). Over
an instructor pilot.
time that goes away as you gain more experience
The airlines let you go 90 days before you have and stay current.
to go back to the simulator, but I prefer the
I hope these suggestions helped. Go put them
Army’s regulation:
to good use, but more importantly go fly often!
60 days no flying=proficiency check.
Let me know if flying multiple days in a row
Yeah, I know, this is expensive, but so is works for anyone out there (I know it will, but I
crashing an airplane. want to hear from you)!
You should also set a six month and yearly hour
requirement. The Army mandates around 48-55
By Sarah Fritts
hours every 6 months. This is our minimum to
maintain proficiency and I think it is spot on. Think Aviation
thinkaviation.netSydney Flyer Page ! 11
Milestones and Dead Ends
Caproni Vizzola F.4 and F.5
Anthony Coleiro
Caproni Vizzola F.4
FILE X103 74 14-cylinder radial engine. This was a most
unusual development as what had normally been
In Fascist Italy in 1937, development of a
the case with Italian fighter development up to
single-seat interceptor fighter began at the
this time was that an aircraft would be produced
Caproni works. Two prototype fighters were
with a radial engine and then later redeveloped
simultaneously worked on: the F.4 and the F.5.
with a more capable inline engine.
These aircraft were essentially the same except
for their powerplants. The F.4 was powered by The aircraft themselves were of mixed
an 890 hp Isotta-Fraschini Asso 121 V12 engine construction having a wooden spar with plywood
while the F.5 was powered by an 870 hp Fiat A. skins on the wings while the fuselages were
Caproni Vizzola F.5Sydney Flyer Page ! 12
welded tube steel with flush riveted duralumin The F.4 finally flew in 1940 and it proved to
skins; the control surfaces were fabric covered. have excellent handling qualities and a top speed
The undercarriage including the tail wheel was of 550 km/h. It was then shelved as the pre-
retractable. production order for the F.5 had already been
made. The sole F.4 was assigned to a squadron
At a late stage of the F.4’s construction a
for experimental flying duties. It did not end
decision was taken the replace the Isotta-
here though, the designer, F. Fabrizi, decided to
Fraschini engine with a Daimler-Benz DB 601A
further develop the aircraft into the F.6 with an
engine which was more powerful. This late
even more powerful Daimler-Benz DB 605
change caused delays in the project giving the F.5
engine, an aircraft we will be examining in a later
a lead and it flew in early 1939.
edition of X-Files.
Profile of the F.5 with the Fiat engine
By Anthony Coleiro
Acknowledgments
The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aircraft
Orbis Publication
The Complete Book of Fighters
William Green Gordon Swanborough
Caproni F.4 War Planes of the Second World War.
The F.5 was evaluated against the likes of the Fighters Volume Two
Fiat G.50 and Macchi MC.200 fighters in the William Green
hope of securing production orders. All that
Caproni received was an order for 14 pre- Warplanes Collector Cards
production aircraft and the order came with Weldon By Mail P/L
conditions: these 14 aircraft were to have a larger
vertical surface, bigger fuel tanks, a non-
retracting tail wheel and a modified canopy.
All those required modifications did nothing
for the performance of the aircraft and it proved
to be an inadequate fighter. These few pre-
production aircraft were pressed into the night
defence of Rome until they could be serviced no
longer. They were then withdrawn from use.Sydney Flyer Page ! 13
Multitasking
The art of doing several things
at once badly
Bill Cooper
Church sign: then can we call the cockpit ‘home’, being totally
familiar to us in item location and feel, making
‘Come in and talk about God. Text him in the car
the job look easy.
and meet him’.
So, where does multitasking fit? Can humans
function as computers do, flawlessly (!)
Multitasking would seem to be made for performing different tasks simultaneously?
aviators, who routinely Aviate, Navigate and Judging by the fatal accident rate of texting while
Communicate simultaneously, sort of. The term driving, experience has shown the answer to be
is ascribed to computing: no. Is aviation different? Again, no.
‘A computer can multitask’. The root cause is embodied in the word
Can we pilots do it? ‘sequence’. Software can be set up to perform
several functions in parallel. ‘Wetware’ (the
When you watch a skilled, current pilot
brain) cannot do this, it can only be in series
conduct a pre-start sequence, numerous
mode, doing one thing at a time, then another,
activities seem to stream, Switching, Setting,
then another. So, multitasking in the human
Checking … in a confident, efficient and
context is really switching from one task to
economical flow, culminating in engine(s) start,
another … to another … and back again. When
followed by another flurry of activity before taxi.
several tasks are under way, it may be necessary
All in a well-memorised sequence, assisted by
to set aside an incomplete task to tackle a more
‘muscle memory’ (actually a brain function,
pressing one, e.g. receiving a clearance during
commanding the muscles via neurons).
run up (probably better handled by replying with
To achieve such a self-confident performance, ‘standby’). This can be a brainpower challenge.
we need a solid background of diligent classroom (It was said of ex-US President Ford that ‘he had
training and study, learning how and why things to stop chewing gum to fart.’) Resuming a half-
work, backed in the aircraft by instruction, use of done job calls for a restart and refocus: ‘Now,
checklists and constant practice, aided by where was I?’ This causes bottlenecks, costs time
understanding of the expected norms and and is very error-prone.
possible issues. Plus a bit of experience. OnlySydney Flyer Page ! 14
Multitasking issues Eureka! Solution: *(NZ expat German sci.
Firstly, there is a history of poor performance philosopher).
when the autopilot says to the pilot “your 1. Identify the conscious problem;
‘plane”, e.g. when running a tank dry, or when
2. Work on it subconsciously, assisted by doing
the AP Circuit Breaker pops. Most of the time,
a light task (eg washing the car or snoozing) and;
pilots handle such incidents well .. ‘poorly’ is
rare, but even ‘sometimes’ or ‘occasionally’ is 4. Eureka! A solution pops up (perhaps).
unacceptable safetywise, e.g. AF447 and Asiana The mind’s main tasking problem is that it
SF crashes, where medically-fit aircrew in a cannot focus on more than one input source at a
serviceable aircraft in good weather made a hash time, so if operating a device whilst listening and
of multitasking. talking, then operating will suffer – multitasking
Secondly, research has shown that people who is bad because it can lead to shedding essential
claim a multitasking capability may perform tasks.
more poorly than those who don’t. Controlled
experiments have shown that you are better Avoiding multitasking
completing a task and then moving on to another Multitasking can be tackled literally head-on by
than having several goes at each task. So, to even punishing transgressors, e.g. ten demerit points
try to multitask is asking for trouble … especially during holiday periods for using a mobile whilst
if there’s a traffic cop around when reaching for driving (new road cameras can auto-detect this).
the mobile in the car. Another way is to highlight stupid behaviour:
‘A suburban train driver in LA was caught by a
The mind station camera talking on his cell phone to his
The mind is that part of the brain which wife about picking him up at the Depot, just
provides consciousness, awareness of self. As before he ran a red light and rear-ended a
Scientific American puts it: ‘Just how the grey goo stopped freight train, killing himself and eight
of that highly excitable organ is turned into the passengers in the front of the train. And closing
glorious surround sound and Technicolour that is the line for a week’.
the fabric of everyday experience, is still not
Another way is to preach the virtue of planning
clear’, but the basics are: that the mind can
ahead. Don’t leave things to the last moment. If
operate concurrently in either of two modes:
you’re planning a trip, a flight, work it out well
Conscious and Unconscious and mode transfer
beforehand, the night before at the very last, to
between these is itself unconscious.
give time for the Eureka solution to reveal dopey
Conscious mode is for ‘online’ perception and items in the plan.
interaction, mainly centred in the posterior (the
back of the brain, that is, not the other one).
Unconscious mode is for ‘offline’ subliminal
activities and problem-solving, located in the
‘little brain’, the cerebellum, an ‘ancient brain
circuit, evolution-wise’, located underneath the
back of the brain.
The unconscious mind contains our implicit
knowledge that controls routine body activities,
interests and motivations but also learned skills
such as walking or flying. It is also a very
successful problem-solver, via *Karl Popper’sSydney Flyer Page ! 15
CASA instructs testing officers that a situational awareness on a circling dark night
professional licence candidate should be approach over the sea’. Not the place to
informed of the route an hour before estimated multitask.
time of departure (ETD), as ‘they should be able
to flight plan accurately in that time’. In my Mud map
humble opinion, a better notion would be to The humble, venerable mud map, a line sketch
suggest to the candidate three potential routes to of activity sequencing, has great merit in
plan beforehand, then choose a route, weather- avoiding multitasking. It can be used in accord
wise, etc., on the test day, to assess professional with electronic navigation apps, themselves
acumen. excellent for situational awareness, while the act
of drawing a mud map leaves a durable and
Pilots tend to procrastinate, e.g. they leave
explicit mental image in the brain, an order of
approach planning ‘til the very last. Very bad,
magnitude better than by just looking at stuff on
Threat and Error Management (TEM)-wise:
an iPad. Even if left behind, having done it
‘Kennedy clan member John F Jr. crashed his
enhances memory. Remember John Kennedy Jr.,
PA32R Saratoga into the Atlantic off Martha’s
trying to find a frequency in the dark ...
Vineyard (MV) Airport, 16/07/99, on a Night
VFR flight, killing himself, his wife and her The mud map below, of an IFR flight from YSRI
friend. When the aircraft was recovered, #2 radio to YMDG, circa 2010, is a neat example of the
was on the wrong frequency, 127.25 instead of craft.
correct the MV ATIS 126.25. From the Air Traffic Flying, like many human activities, is best
Control (ATC) tape, the pilot was searching for handled by setting out a sequence of timely
the right frequency on his chart when he lost
Mud mapsSydney Flyer Page ! 16
actions in the planning stage, then doing them
during the journey. Think smart. If changing a 2019 PRIVATE HIRE (incl GST)
radio frequency, then install the next frequency
TYPE VH HIRE IFR LND
in the STBY window … i.e., ‘Do something, then
… What’s next? Then next?’ Tomahawk CNV $180 $22
On arrival, don’t switch off the brain at the Warrior lI INB $260 $25
inbound waypoint, keep piloting until the aircraft
Warrior II BVM $260 ✓ $25
is put away and the paperwork is complete. Most
importantly, spread tasks throughout the flight, Warrior III SFK LXP $260 $25
don’t leave stuff ‘til the bitter end. Keep track of
Warrior III ZFX ZFY $260 $25
location, time, weather, fuel and endurance. Stay
awake. Archer II SFA $285 $25
And it’s not true that females are better NRB NRI
Archer II $285 ✓ $25
multitaskers. No one is good at it – there is more NRL
variation between people than between sexes.
Archer III SFR $295 ✓ $25
So … multitasking? Leave that to software. Be
Wetware-smart! Cherokee CDK $360 $35
✓
6
Cessna 206 LZN $445 ✓ $35
By Bill Cooper
Cessna 206 AZN $465 ✓ $35
Duchess WZA $470 ✓ $40
Cirrus DDP $595 $35
✓
! SR22T
Red Bird FMX $115 N/A
Do you remember the FS
For full details
old days at SFC? www.sfcaero.com.au/aircraft-rates
This year in July, we will be celebrating the
50th anniversary of Schofields Flying Club/
Sydney Flying Club. Introducing SFC’s Cirrus
As part of the anniversary celebration, we want
to piece together a history of the past 50 years of
SFC. David Jaffray will be preparing the history,
so if you remember SFC from the 1970s to early
2000s or part thereof, David would like to talk to
you about the significant events of those early
years. Also, if you have any documents and other
!
items e.g. newsletters, photos, notices, posters • Take the comfort of your car with you when
etc. of those days, it would be great if we could you fly
borrow those too, if you didn’t mind. • Reach your destination quickly – cruise
at180 kts
If you are able to help, please contact: • •Capable of flying IFR at 25,000 ft in known
David Jaffray at davidj@sfcaero.com.au. icing conditionsSydney Flyer Page 17
Wanted: your stories, opinion pieces and humour
Sydney When you come back from your next flying trip, write a short article to tell all of us
about your experience. If you have a view on how the world of aviation can be
Flying Club improved, put fingers to keyboard and let us hear about it. If you're critical of, or want
to comment on something you read in Sydney Flyer magazine, write it in an email and
send it in. Write a review of an aviation book you’ve read recently.
Editor: David Jaffray, davidj@sfcaero.com.au
PS: Sydney Flyer makes a great read on your iPad or tablet.
Calendar (subject to change, please call to confirm)
02 Feb Hawkesbury to the Sea Flyout
01 Mar Call for Articles – Sydney Flyer
1–3 Mar Avalon Air Show Flyout
17 Mar First Solo Awards
Phone: 02 9709 8488
06 Apr Hunter Valley Air Show Flyout
Fax: 02 9709 1045
E-Mail:
info@sfcaero.com.au
Accounts
accounts@sfcaero.com.au
Web:
www.sfcaero.com.au Board of Directors (directors@sfcaero.com.au)
Amir Hyster President Yaron Nahmias Director
A proud history of Frank Peronace Vice President Jessica De Vries Director
flying operations over
Steve Kastanias Treasurer
forty five years
Operations
Joseph Pilo CEO Chris Koort Head of Operations
About SFC
Schofields Flying Club Ltd, trading as Sydney Flying Club, Sydney Flight College and Sydney
Flight Charter, incorporated in 1971, has had a proud history of flying operations, with training
as one its core propositions. Students have come from all walks of life and at all stages in their
careers, but all have shared the common passion for aviation. A large number have moved on
to professional aviation careers, others have chosen the challenge of aviation as a recreation.
All carry with them the enthusiasm for professionalism coupled with fun that so exemplifies the
modern aviator.You can also read
