John Brandon's 'Fly Safe!' tutorials
Page revision 6 — page content was last changed 4 September 2011;
'Joining Australian sport and recreational aviation guide' added
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John Brandon's 'Fly Safe!' tutorialsPage revision 6 — page content was last changed 4 September 2011; 'Joining Australian sport and recreational aviation guide' added |
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These tutorials and guides are dedicated to the memory of Wing Commander A.M. (Mick) Parer RAAF 'An operator who had a passion for flight and a passion to teach' 1935 — 2005 The intent of the tutorials and guides is to improve the underpinning knowledge and thus the situational awareness, airmanship and ultimately, the safety of sport and recreational pilots (whether novice or experienced) and their passengers. The documents are generally written on the premise that no pilot of a sport and recreational aviation aircraft can know too much about aerodynamics and flight; so the more information provided, the better the result. Most tutorials provide much more detail than is necessary for novice pilots to understand; it is meant for all persons who wish to expand their knowledge without getting into the mathematics. Aeronautics and aerodynamics are very complex subjects. Since the initial 2000–2001 publication of the various modules on the AUF/RA-Aus website there has been (and continues to be) considerable feedback from readers requesting increased coverage or seeking additional explanation of various aspects. In addition — as with other aviation categories — the causes of accidents in world-wide sport and recreational aviation remain distressingly familiar, which has contributed to a probable excessive laboring over some matters. A word of caution. I have found that some fallacies or misconceptions are often repeated from work to work. Be wary of the person who is adamant that there is only one correct concept and that all others should be ignored. The atmosphere you fly in, and the aircraft you fly, are not bound by the opinions of mere humans. The documents currently contain 470 000 words of text, plus illustrations. If the tutorials were published in standard textbook format the total page count would be around 950 pages. Unfortunately there are no print or PDF format versions available. The tutorials have been voluntarily edited by Recreational Flying forum member Dave Gardiner (Burbles1) of Red Lettuce Communications. Please note: the documents are designed for consistent online reading, requiring the reader to select a display resolution and font size which produce a display of 60-70 characters or 12-14 words per line. As in a book, this is recognised as near the maximum number of words per line for good readability. It is also important that there is a wide, clear border to the left and right of the text so that the eye can't be distracted by any extraneous material outside the border (such as a sidebar); and page overflow to the right is a no-no. Please read the notice regarding copyright protection of the tutorials. |
Page content
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| 1. Joining sport and recreational aviation. The Australian sport and recreational field includes lighter-than-air, heavier-than-air, power-driven and non-power-driven aircraft — intended for pleasure, diversion, adventure, competitive sport, technical flying, experimental or personal educational/developmental purposes. Generally as long as you are in reasonable physical and mental condition — equivalent to that needed to hold (and maintain) an Australian private vehicle driver licence — you can become a member of a sport and recreational aviation association and learn to fly a sport and recreational aircraft. This guide is an outline of how to go about becoming involved in this broad and expanding sector of Australian aviation. |
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2. Decreasing your exposure to risk This tutorial is a series of safety briefings that aim to encompass the flight dynamics associated with some common events that sometimes lead to destruction — thus extending your underpinning knowledge so that such disastrous outcomes are readily avoided, even if readily encountered. The series generally explores the flight envelope (flight loading limits and gust loading limits), plus angle of attack management and energy management. It does not cover other accident causal factors such as fuel system management, flight planning management, wire strikes or flight into IMC. Articles discussing those causal factors can be accessed via the paragraph below titled: 'Further online reading'.
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| 3. Airmanship and safety tour The prime aim of these web tutorials is to provide knowledge to those who are willing to absorb it. The more you know about the physics of flight, the flight environment, your aircraft structure and its systems, flight planning and flight operations and so on, the more aware you will be of your own limitations — and the safer you and your passengers will be. The airmanship and safety tour takes you through those sub-sections of the tutorials that are particularly pertinent to safety. The sections are generally highlighted with the same background tone and are sequenced using a textual link — at the end of each sub-section — to access the next sub-section in the sequence. |
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4. Coping with emergencies The proliferation of heavier and faster sport and recreational aircraft travelling long distances, and equipped with engines of much greater reliability, has given rise to the situation where the perception of pilots and possibly instructors (in regard to the likelihood of a forced landing) has changed greatly, and indeed many pilots now have no practical experience of handling real forced landings — and the aircraft they fly are inherently more difficult to put down in a restricted area. The nosewheel, with which many are now equipped, adds to the problems once the aircraft has touched down in rough or soft conditions. This tutorial provides an outline of the knowledge needed to prepare for an engine-out emergency landing and to deal with the aftermath.
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5. Aviation meteorology in Australia A summarised but reasonably comprehensive examination — oriented towards Australian conditions — of the atmospheric structure, the physical laws and the forces which together produce the atmospheric phenomena referred to as weather; a good understanding of which is essential to safe soaring and safe aerial navigation.
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6. Flight theory The intent of this tutorial is to improve the underpinning knowledge and thus the situational awareness, airmanship and — ultimately — the safety of sport and recreational pilots and their passengers. The tutorial is written on the premise that no pilot can know too much about aerodynamics and flight; so the more information provided, the better the result.
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7. Flight planning and navigation A summarised, overall view of adequate and safe flight planning and navigation techniques that are applicable to sport and recreational aviation operations under the visual flight rules, in visual meteorological conditions and within the current Australian regulations for flight operations outside controlled airspace.
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8. VHF radiocommunications An outline of Australian aircraft transceiver licensing and radio operator qualification plus the VHF radiotelephony techniques and procedures to be used during VFR flight operations outside controlled airspace. Radiotelephony emergency/distress procedures are included, plus the usage of transponders and satellite-compatible distress beacons and the operations of the Australian Search and Rescue organisation.
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9. Builders guide to safe aircraft materials A reasonably comprehensive guide — for those interested in building their own aircraft — to the properties and usage of materials that are considered appropriate.
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10. Further online reading A categorised index (covering the period from 1998 to date) of selected articles available in the online version of the Civil Aviation Safety Authority's bi-monthly magazine Flight Safety Australia. The articles listed are all pertinent to recreational and sport aviation under the day visual flight rules and are recommended reading. They expand on, or complement, material contained in these tutorials. Some publications from the Australian Transport Safety Bureau are also provided. |
Powered recreational aviation history, regulations and the enabling exemption orders
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Pilot services provided by the Australian national authorities
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USA Federal Aviation Administration handbooks17. Technical handbooks
18. Pilot handbooks
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Copyright © 2000–2011 tutorials author John Brandon [contact information]