AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2020 - 104

NEWS & NOTES

AOPA AIR SAFETY INSTITUTE

Winter weather woes

Winter is here! You can either work with it or against it
BY ALICIA HERRON

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, ASI

Learn more about precipitation and icing in this Safety Advisor:
airsafetyinstitute.org/safetyadvisors/precipandicing
Brought to you by Sirius XM Aviation.

DEPENDING ON WHERE YOU LIVE, winter
can mean anything from the palm trees have
just been trimmed and I think 60 degrees is
cold to I am going to be snowed in for months
and I'm happy about it. For most of us, it's
somewhere in between.
While the cooler months offer improved
aircraft performance and unique snowy
views, they can also create some complications in our flying plans. But a subfreezing
temperature doesn't mean you have to
abandon the sky-it just requires extra preparation. Here are some (but not all) factors
to consider and tips to help keep you safe
this season.
Check the freezing level. Even in typically warm and sunny places, the freezing
level will get lower in winter. Don't let it surprise you and remember that any amount of
ice on a general aviation aircraft is bad news.
Dress for the worst weather along
your route of flight rather than for your
destination weather or the capabilities of
your cabin heat. And if you fly out of a truly
wintry spot, even a short local flight can
turn into a survival scenario. You should be
mentally and physically prepared ( jacket,
boots, survival equipment) to spend at least

104 | AOPA PILOT January 2020

a few hours in the elements every time you
fly-just in case.
In winter weather, surviving an airplane
crash is only part of the story; a well-executed
forced landing can still end in a loss of life
from exposure. Depending on how remote
of an area you fly in, using a GPS tracker
will either be a necessity or a very good idea.
With a GPS tracker, which will allow you to
call for help in a place where you might not
have cell service, you can likely reduce the
time between an accident and rescue, and
potentially save your own life.
Pay close attention to runway conditions. Is there ice or snow on the runway?
How will that change your takeoff and landing performance? And will it affect your wind
limit? You don't want to find out after touchdown whether you have enough space to stop.
Give pireps on braking action when you fly to
let other pilots know what they'll encounter.
Don't forget to take care of your airplane. Be patient and let that oil heat up
before you run your engine at high rpm. Be
kind to your engine on the ground, too, and
keep it well protected when you aren't flying. If you're new to a cold place, make sure
you're using an appropriately weighted oil.

This year marks the AOPA Air Safety
Institute's seventieth anniversary, a celebration we will commemorate with
special giveaways and gear. Established
in 1950 as the nonprofit AOPA
Foundation dedicated to GA pilot
safety and education, it was renamed
the AOPA Air Safety Foundation (ASF)
in 1967 to reflect its safety education work. In 2010, ASF and the AOPA
Foundation merged, and to recognize its safety work while supporting
the foundation's fundraising mission, it
became the AOPA Air Safety Institute
(ASI). ASI's commitment to improve
aviation safety through free education
is made possible by donations to the
AOPA Foundation-not AOPA membership dues. We thank our donors at
every level for helping us achieve this
milestone.
aopafoundation.org/donate

Is the weather terrible out? Are you
going to be pushing all your limits if you
go fly today? Despite all the best laid plans,
weather can keep us grounded when we
desperately want to be aloft. Remember
that getting weathered out isn't a failure. Use the time you would have flown to
refresh old knowledge or fly a simulator if
there's one available.
Winter flying can be a special kind of
magic and is worth the extra preparation.
But if you can't stand the cold, remember
that spring is only a few months away.
EMAIL alicia.herron@aopa.org

WHAT WOULD YOU DO?

When we fly, the safest option isn't
always crystal clear. To help you
make safer, more informed decisions, this new free AOPA Air Safety
Institute seminar invites you to participate in two engaging scenarios from
PilotWorkshops. Take this opportunity to discuss, compare, and debate
the decision options for the flight situations presented in the scenarios.
airsafetyinstitute.org/
safetyadvisors/precipandicing
http://www.airsafetyinstitute.org/safetyadvisors/precipandicing http://www.aopafoundation.org/donate http://www.airsafetyinstitute.org/safetyadvisors/precipandicing http://www.airsafetyinstitute.org/safetyadvisors/precipandicing
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2020

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2020
