AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2020 - 88

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P&E

PROFICIENCY

Desert storms happen. Be prepared.
A sandstorm could reduce the visibility at
lower altitudes and choke your engine to
silence. Even a thunderstorm that is raining virga (rain that does not appear to
reach the ground) can develop dangerous turbulence and visible microbursts
that must be avoided.
Have an alternate. Maybe two. Yes,
summertime weather over the desert tends
toward consistently hot, windy, and dry.
It's a desert, after all. Except when it is
monsoon season, which brings low, moist
clouds and violent, sudden rainstorms.
You may need to divert from your initial
planned route, and with airports scarce, it
is better to have a couple planned options
ahead of time. It's also a good idea to check
your actual progress (groundspeed) against
your planned progress and calculate a
point of no return-after which the course
is forward, rather than a turn back. With a
virulent headwind, where that point lies on
your course line may surprise you.
Have a backup battery for your
phone and external GPS/ADS-B. In
emergency situations, it's critical that you
have a battery backup for all your external
devices. Your mobile phone battery may
not make it through an emergency, especially if your LTE radio is straining to reach
a distant cell tower. Your GPS/ADS-B unit
is critical for noting your position. Without
the ship's power, it will need a boost. And,
finally, always have fresh alkaline batteries in your handheld radio (you've got one
of those, right?). That way you can communicate if your aircraft has an electrical
failure, and also with any rescue aircraft
looking for you if you go down. Some people are turning to portable solar panels as
part of their emergency kits. They've come
down in price and weight, and could offer
recharging options in an emergency.
Carry emergency numbers and
information. Always have emergency
contact information with you. Have the
phone numbers of a relative and your doctor, as well as a list of any medications you
take. Speaking of which, you might want
to stash some extra of those medications
in your emergency kit.
Always carry enough clothing and
blankets. The scorching heat in the
88 | AOPA PILOT March 2020

Desert flights are
fantastic opportunities
for taking in the vast
expanses of sky and
brilliant colors of
sand, rock, and scrub
that lie between the
verdant grasses of
the prairies and the
mountains and
coastlines that
frame them.
morning and noon will change to bonechilling cold once the sun goes down in
the desert. A packable puffer jacket and a
couple of mylar blankets should be mandatory in your emergency pack (right
next to the double-wrapped energy bars,
lumen stick, strobe light, and signal mirror). A small sleeping bag, a fire starter,
and maybe a backpacking camp stove
(not one that takes compressed gas fuel)
might be good additions to that emergency pack.
Consider renting a satellite phone
for long excursions. You may never need
it, but the investment would be worth if
you are in distress without any conventional cell tower signal. Think of it as that
raft you rent every time you fly long legs
over water with no sight of land.
Most desert trips in an airplane are
fantastic opportunities for taking in the
vast expanses of sky and brilliant colors
of sand, rock, and scrub that lie between
the verdant grasses of the prairies and
the mountains and coastlines that frame
them. You could be in Namibia, the
Sahara, the south of Spain, or the southwestern corner of the North American
continent. Airplanes are perfect for traversing these wide-open spaces, and you
can do it safely with just a little time and
forethought.
AOPA
AMY LABODA is a National FAASTeam

member, CFI, and freelance aviation writer.


http://www.AOPA.org/creditcard http://www.AOPA.org/creditcard

AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2020

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

Contents
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2020 - Intro
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2020 - Cover1
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2020 - Cover2
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2020 - Contents
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2020 - 2
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2020 - 3
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2020 - 4
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2020 - 5
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2020 - 6
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2020 - 7
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2020 - 8
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2020 - 9
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AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2020 - Cover3
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2020 - Cover4
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