AOPA Pilot Magazine - December 2012 - 94

P&E

NEVER AGAIN

Music in the night
What is the engine telling you?
BY HERMAN BABICH

WHEN YOU MAKE the same trip a number of times, I guess it’s easy to become complacent and assume certain expectations. Such assumptions became my problem one December night, many years ago. I had a job to fulfill in Buffalo, New York. I hadn’t flown much because of a busy schedule, so I decided to get in some flying time in my 1964 Cessna 172 Skyhawk. I had flown a Civil Air Patrol mission about a week before. They had refueled my aircraft for the return flight from the former Zahn’s Airport on Long Island,

New York, to Teterboro, New Jersey, my home field. I assumed I had enough fuel for this trip, which was a direct routing of Teterboro, Wilkes-Barre, Elmira, Buffalo. I had made this trip to Buffalo many times, and my average flight time was two hours, 45 minutes. So, I filed a flight plan for my usual 2:45 ETE with gas on board for 3:30 hours instead of my usual four hours fuel on board. When I bought the airplane, the previous owner cautioned me that the fuel gauges never read correctly. The left gauge

always read more than the right gauge. Since I never flew longer than three hours at a time, I never felt that I should be concerned about how high or low the fuel gauges read. Also, it was about that time that the FAA issued a directive that, because of an incident with a Skyhawk flying above 5,000 feet and having a fuel problem, that anyone flying a Skyhawk above 5,000 feet should use the left or right tank, and not both as was taught in the early flying lessons. Before I bought my airplane— N3500S—I belonged to a lot of clubs and flew Cherokees and other aircraft where I had to use either left or right tanks. I knew it would not be a problem for me to do that routine. My habit was to take off with Both selected and then when I got to my selected altitude, I would change to either the left or right tank and continue monitoring them for balance. I left Teterboro about 4 p.m., climbed to 6,500 feet, and headed for Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. I noticed that I was about 15 minutes late at this checkpoint, but so what? I headed up the Susquehanna River toward Elmira. About halfway there it became dark, and, for the first time in all my flying, I heard the engine sound change its pitch to a lower sound. I’m always aware of sound, especially in flying, because I am a musician and piano tuner. I quickly used the carburetor heat control and was pleased with the back-to-normal sound. It was music to my ears. As I was getting closer to Elmira, I switched tanks. I was looking down at

PATRICK VALE

94 | AOPA PILOT December 2012



AOPA Pilot Magazine - December 2012

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of AOPA Pilot Magazine - December 2012

AOPA Pilot Magazine - December 2012
Contents
President’s Position
Visual Approach
Letters
Waypoints
Proficient Pilot
Foundation Focus
License to Learn
Pilot Counsel
Fly Well
An aerial perspective
AOPA Sweepstakes
Youth
Milestones
AOPA Action
Test Pilot
micro.
Jet In a Box
Force From Above
Safety Pilot Landmark Accident: Not So Easy
Desert Delight
Gone West
Ownership
Proficiency
Technique
Avionics
Never Again
Membership
Member Products
State and Local Action
AOPA Foundation
AOPA Insurance Services
Fly by Wire
Pilots
AOPA Pilot Magazine - December 2012 - AOPA Pilot Magazine - December 2012
AOPA Pilot Magazine - December 2012 - Cover2
AOPA Pilot Magazine - December 2012 - Contents
AOPA Pilot Magazine - December 2012 - 2
AOPA Pilot Magazine - December 2012 - 3
AOPA Pilot Magazine - December 2012 - President’s Position
AOPA Pilot Magazine - December 2012 - 5
AOPA Pilot Magazine - December 2012 - 6
AOPA Pilot Magazine - December 2012 - 7
AOPA Pilot Magazine - December 2012 - 8
AOPA Pilot Magazine - December 2012 - 9
AOPA Pilot Magazine - December 2012 - Visual Approach
AOPA Pilot Magazine - December 2012 - 11
AOPA Pilot Magazine - December 2012 - Letters
AOPA Pilot Magazine - December 2012 - 13
AOPA Pilot Magazine - December 2012 - 14
AOPA Pilot Magazine - December 2012 - 15
AOPA Pilot Magazine - December 2012 - Waypoints
AOPA Pilot Magazine - December 2012 - 17
AOPA Pilot Magazine - December 2012 - Proficient Pilot
AOPA Pilot Magazine - December 2012 - 19
AOPA Pilot Magazine - December 2012 - Foundation Focus
AOPA Pilot Magazine - December 2012 - 21
AOPA Pilot Magazine - December 2012 - License to Learn
AOPA Pilot Magazine - December 2012 - 23
AOPA Pilot Magazine - December 2012 - Pilot Counsel
AOPA Pilot Magazine - December 2012 - 25
AOPA Pilot Magazine - December 2012 - Fly Well
AOPA Pilot Magazine - December 2012 - 27
AOPA Pilot Magazine - December 2012 - An aerial perspective
AOPA Pilot Magazine - December 2012 - 29
AOPA Pilot Magazine - December 2012 - AOPA Sweepstakes
AOPA Pilot Magazine - December 2012 - 31
AOPA Pilot Magazine - December 2012 - Youth
AOPA Pilot Magazine - December 2012 - 33
AOPA Pilot Magazine - December 2012 - Milestones
AOPA Pilot Magazine - December 2012 - 35
AOPA Pilot Magazine - December 2012 - AOPA Action
AOPA Pilot Magazine - December 2012 - 37
AOPA Pilot Magazine - December 2012 - 38
AOPA Pilot Magazine - December 2012 - Test Pilot
AOPA Pilot Magazine - December 2012 - 40
AOPA Pilot Magazine - December 2012 - 41
AOPA Pilot Magazine - December 2012 - micro.
AOPA Pilot Magazine - December 2012 - 43
AOPA Pilot Magazine - December 2012 - 44
AOPA Pilot Magazine - December 2012 - 45
AOPA Pilot Magazine - December 2012 - 46
AOPA Pilot Magazine - December 2012 - 47
AOPA Pilot Magazine - December 2012 - 48
AOPA Pilot Magazine - December 2012 - 49
AOPA Pilot Magazine - December 2012 - Jet In a Box
AOPA Pilot Magazine - December 2012 - 51
AOPA Pilot Magazine - December 2012 - 52
AOPA Pilot Magazine - December 2012 - 53
AOPA Pilot Magazine - December 2012 - Force From Above
AOPA Pilot Magazine - December 2012 - 55
AOPA Pilot Magazine - December 2012 - 56
AOPA Pilot Magazine - December 2012 - 57
AOPA Pilot Magazine - December 2012 - 58
AOPA Pilot Magazine - December 2012 - 59
AOPA Pilot Magazine - December 2012 - 60
AOPA Pilot Magazine - December 2012 - 61
AOPA Pilot Magazine - December 2012 - Safety Pilot Landmark Accident: Not So Easy
AOPA Pilot Magazine - December 2012 - 63
AOPA Pilot Magazine - December 2012 - 64
AOPA Pilot Magazine - December 2012 - 65
AOPA Pilot Magazine - December 2012 - Desert Delight
AOPA Pilot Magazine - December 2012 - 67
AOPA Pilot Magazine - December 2012 - 68
AOPA Pilot Magazine - December 2012 - 69
AOPA Pilot Magazine - December 2012 - 70
AOPA Pilot Magazine - December 2012 - 71
AOPA Pilot Magazine - December 2012 - Gone West
AOPA Pilot Magazine - December 2012 - 73
AOPA Pilot Magazine - December 2012 - 74
AOPA Pilot Magazine - December 2012 - 75
AOPA Pilot Magazine - December 2012 - Ownership
AOPA Pilot Magazine - December 2012 - 77
AOPA Pilot Magazine - December 2012 - 78
AOPA Pilot Magazine - December 2012 - 79
AOPA Pilot Magazine - December 2012 - 80
AOPA Pilot Magazine - December 2012 - Proficiency
AOPA Pilot Magazine - December 2012 - 82
AOPA Pilot Magazine - December 2012 - 83
AOPA Pilot Magazine - December 2012 - 84
AOPA Pilot Magazine - December 2012 - 85
AOPA Pilot Magazine - December 2012 - Technique
AOPA Pilot Magazine - December 2012 - 87
AOPA Pilot Magazine - December 2012 - Avionics
AOPA Pilot Magazine - December 2012 - 89
AOPA Pilot Magazine - December 2012 - 90
AOPA Pilot Magazine - December 2012 - 91
AOPA Pilot Magazine - December 2012 - 92
AOPA Pilot Magazine - December 2012 - 93
AOPA Pilot Magazine - December 2012 - Never Again
AOPA Pilot Magazine - December 2012 - 95
AOPA Pilot Magazine - December 2012 - 96
AOPA Pilot Magazine - December 2012 - I1
AOPA Pilot Magazine - December 2012 - I2
AOPA Pilot Magazine - December 2012 - 97
AOPA Pilot Magazine - December 2012 - Membership
AOPA Pilot Magazine - December 2012 - 99
AOPA Pilot Magazine - December 2012 - Member Products
AOPA Pilot Magazine - December 2012 - 101
AOPA Pilot Magazine - December 2012 - State and Local Action
AOPA Pilot Magazine - December 2012 - 103
AOPA Pilot Magazine - December 2012 - AOPA Foundation
AOPA Pilot Magazine - December 2012 - 105
AOPA Pilot Magazine - December 2012 - AOPA Insurance Services
AOPA Pilot Magazine - December 2012 - 107
AOPA Pilot Magazine - December 2012 - Fly by Wire
AOPA Pilot Magazine - December 2012 - 109
AOPA Pilot Magazine - December 2012 - 110
AOPA Pilot Magazine - December 2012 - 111
AOPA Pilot Magazine - December 2012 - Pilots
AOPA Pilot Magazine - December 2012 - Cover3
AOPA Pilot Magazine - December 2012 - Cover4
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