Salt Lake 2 Departure

Let's get straight to it...

The question is:  Can we do the Salt Lake 2 Departure (SLC2.TCH) in the Seminole?  How about with only 1 engine operating?

Let's take a look at the charts:

When looking at the departure procedures, we see that we need to calculate performance for field elevation, 7800 MSL (Rwy 35), and 8300 (Rwy 17), so we need to see the temperatures for these altitudes...

Field:  18
7800:  14
8300:  13

We then have to check the Seminole performance charts for max gross weight to ensure that we can successfully complete this departure:

-At field elevation, we see that we can climb at 900 fpm.
-At 7800 MSL, we can climb at 650 fpm.
-At 8300 MSL, we can climb at 550 fpm.

With these conditions and both engines operating, we can do the Salt Lake 2 departure from RWY 17/35.

***A key thing to check is the one-engine inoperative climb rate, which in this case is 0 fpm. TAKE NOTE that this is at field elevation, so as we got higher it would be even less. We can see that in the event of an engine failure, we would not be able to climb at all, and would have to take an alternate plan of action - which would most likely be to land as soon as practicable.

-TB

Single Pilot IFR

"Single-pilot IFR can be as safe as you choose to make it."

This is a quote from the first page, in big, purple, easy to see letters.  I think they do that for a reason. It really is true - SPIFR is as safe as you, the pilot, decide it will be.  You have to know your skills and your limits, and you have to be able to manage the workload that you create for yourself.

Some key items of SPIFR are thorough planning, organization, and attention to detail.  When you are flying by yourself (or as the only pilot), these things are crucial to a successful flight.  You will be responsible for safely flying the plane, which is the biggest and most important task, while also navigating yourself to your destination.  Plus, you never know what you could encounter on your trip.  So the main thing is to be prepared!

I know that right now I would not do a SPIFR flight.  I haven't used my instrument knowledge in a long time (not to mention, I'm not even current) and I don't feel confident enough in myself to take on such a task.  This is not to say that I never would, but as the article mentions, I would need lots of practice and planning for a successful flight.

I think what I took away most from this article was a quote at the end: "Don't let your confidence exceed your ability".  That is such a good piece of advice, and is one that many people should rethink.  All too often, the "Macho" hazardous attitude shows up and leads pilots to believe that they are able to do things that they don't have the ability to do.  Anyone can be susceptible to it, but you have to know about and be aware of the attitude so you can fight it.

Someday it would be fun, I'm sure, to do a SPIFR flight!  I'll have to brush up on my skills and make sure I am prepared for the task at hand.

-TB

In-Flight Electrical Fires

Let me start off by saying that I hope I NEVER have to experience this.  Who wouldn't, right??

In-flight electrical fires are definitely rare, but if one were to occur, you want to be prepared and have the knowledge of what to do to keep yourself safe.  The KEY point that the article stresses is that your first priority should be getting the plane on the ground safely.  Obviously, you don't want to stay in the air and try to get things to work.  Fix the situation so that you can get on the ground as quickly as possible with minimal damage to the aircraft.  That is what the checklists and emergency procedures help us to do.

The Seminole checklist for an electrical fire is as follows:

Battery Master.....OFF
Alternator Switches.....OFF
All Electrical Switches.....OFF
Radio Master Switch.....OFF
Vents.....Closed (to avoid drafts)
Cabin Heat.....OFF

It then says to reset circuit breakers, only if critical, and only one essential device at a time.  (Our Seminole checklist has a list of all the circuit breakers and which ones can or cannot be reset.)  The reason for this is is that resetting circuit breakers can re-create the situation that caused the problem in the first place, potentially causing the fire to reignite.

This article relates to our procedure in the Seminole because both resources give us a lot of the same information and procedures for handling such an emergency.  I really think it's good to see these procedures over and over and have them reiterated for us, because these key rules for dealing with an in-flight emergency, such as an electrical fire, are so critical for a safe outcome.  I feel like I have an even better idea of what to do if the situation ever presents itself.  If there's one main thing to take away from this article, it's to STAY CALM, FOLLOW PROCEDURES, and GET THE PLANE ON THE GROUND as soon as practical.

-TB

P.S.  A "short circuit" means that electricity is flowing along a different path than the one intended.  Electricity may be arcing between a damaged or exposed wire & a different circuit, or directly to a ground source.  When this happens, huge amounts of current are pulled through the wire, which could damage it and/or start a fire.

Wet Sump Oil System (and Dry...)

In engine oiling systems, there are two main types - wet sump and dry sump.  Most every production engine in the world uses a wet-sump system because they are low-cost and light-weight.  Not to mention, they are very simple.  There is an oil pan at the bottom of the engine where the oil is collected.  The oil pump circulates oil out of the pan, through the engine, and back into the oil pan again.  This system is much cheaper than a dry sump system, mainly because it has less parts.  The oil pan in the wet-sump system is where the oil is stored and recirculated, whereas in the dry-sump system there is an external tank for storing oil and an additional external pump.  

Pretty much all of the cars and trucks we see on the road have a wet-sump oil system.  The main place to see a dry-sump system would be at a racetrack.  The way the system functions for pumping oil through the system is much more efficient (in certain ways).  They have better "slosh control" (a.k.a. better containment/control of the oil within the pan) and a larger oil capacity, plus the engine can be mounted lower to the chassis because of the smaller pan near the bottom.  Of course with efficiency comes cost, which is mainly why they are only on racecars.  Their main concern is power, and the wet-sump system tends to rob horsepower.  One exception is dragsters, which use the wet-sump system, because they have room for a large oil pan and extra performance-enhancing pumps.  The system is much easier to work with in-between runs, and cooling of the system isn't critical since the engine only runs a couple minutes at a time. 

It's funny that this system is in every car we see on the road, yet I had no idea that's what it was.  I figured "wet-sump" was some sort of special aviation term... guess not! 

-TB