Flight Training - July 2023 - 5

LETTERS
GETTING THE
LEAD OUT
The article titled " Getting the Lead Out "
(June 2023, Flight Training) summarizes
the aviation industry's unleaded fuel transition
strategy: complete the transition
effectively and efficiently with no negative
impact on safety...smartly and safely...by
2030. That's 34 years after leaded gasoline
was banned from on-road vehicles.
Unmentioned in the article, a California
State University study cites the
massive benefits the phaseout of leaded
gasoline in on-road vehicles has brought,
including more than 1.2 million fewer premature
deaths annually, 125,000 of them
of children, with tests showing lead in
blood levels dropping dramatically by 90
percent or more, particularly in cities.
The article struck me as massively tone
deaf to the severe consequences of burning
leaded gasoline and instead focused on
presenting how responsibly the aviation
community is acting. To paraphrase the article:
Ignore the pile of bodies in the corner;
we have a really hard problem, and we plan
to solve it 34 years after the auto industry
figured it out. Are we great or what!
A more balanced approach would be
appreciated.
Bill Burnett
Southport, North Carolina
Learn more about the transition to
unleaded fuel at aopa.org/100ul.
SAY IT
WITH ME
I thought Sarah Deener's article ( " Say It
With Me, " June 2023, Flight Training)
was very well written. I especially like the
statement, " Each declaration we make is
an assertion that we know what's happening,
have identified the correct action to
take, and are taking charge to execute it. "
Impactful.
Randy Skelton
Spokane, Washington
PREFLIGHT MEMBERSHIP
BY JULIE SUMMERS WALKER
ADDRESS CHANGE?
Send your new address and AOPA
membership number to AOPA:
aopa.org/apps/myaopamembership
421 Aviation Way
Frederick, Maryland 21701-4798
TOLL-FREE PILOT
INFORMATION CENTER
800-USA-AOPA (872-2672)
pilotassist@aopa.org
pic.aopa.org
AOPA AIR SAFETY INSTITUTE
800-638-3101
airsafetyinstitute.org
AOPA AIRCRAFT FINANCING
800-627-5263
aopafinance.org
GETTING THE LEAD OUT
WHY IT MATTERS TO YOU-AND WHAT AOPA IS DOING TO HELP
ONE OF THE BIGGEST OBSTACLES FACING
the general aviation industry today is the
need to get the lead out of aviation fuel.
The GA industry is working to transition
to an unleaded avgas that can replace
100LL for all aircraft in the piston GA
fleet. The hope is that this transition can
be done effectively and efficiently, with no
negative impact on safety.
Most aircraft in the
current general aviation fleet
were designed to operate with
fuel formulated to prevent
engine detonation that can
result in a sudden engine
failure. For decades, a leadbased
additive has been the
solution. Finding a suitable
substitute that doesn't contain
lead has been challenging.
Several promising solutions
are currently being evaluated;
one has earned approval for
almost all piston aircraft and
is working to bring the fuel to
market. AOPA is advocating
for solutions that work for all
those invested, and has built
a coalition of stakeholders
to engage in practical and
forward-thinking measures
toward this future. The effort
30
FLIGHT TRAINING JUNE 2023
DID YOU KNOW?
General aviation is a
$247 billion industry
that accounts for more
than 1.2 million jobs
in the United States.
Currently, there are
more than 200,000
aircraft in the GA fleet,
compared to fewer
than 6,000 among the
airlines. This country
is served by more
than 5,000 public-use
airports, supporting a
tremendous number
of jobs, compared to
fewer than 500 airports
served by the airlines.
In addition, most GA
aircraft and airports are
important staging sites
for emergency rescue
and disaster relief.
to rid all avgas of lead dates back decades.
It's a complex matter involving issues of
safety, performance, practicality, economics,
and logistics, and many public
and private constituents have a hand in
this transition. The aviation industry has
committed to a smart and safe transition
to an unleaded aviation fuel by 2030, but
some states and local governments have
recently sought to ban
100LL before a suitable
alternative is available.
This is the most
pressing issue facing GA
today, because leaded
fuels threaten our freedom
to fly and threaten the economic
impact of general
aviation and the important
humanitarian services GA
provides. Transitioning to
an unleaded high-octane
fuel that meets the needs
of the entire fleet is complex;
AOPA supports the
smart and safe transition
to unleaded fuel for all
aircraft. Our dedicated
webpage can answer
your questions about this
important issue.
aopa.org/100UL
AOPA PERSONAL INSURANCE
800-USA-AOPA (872-2672)
aopa.org/membership/personal
AOPA CREDIT CARD PROGRAM
Top off your airplane and wallet
with the best card for pilots.
877-787-3171
aopa.org/creditcard
AOPA FOUNDATION
800-955-9115
aopafoundation.org
AOPA PILOT PROTECTION SERVICES
800-USA-AOPA (872-2672)
aopa.org/pps
AOPA TRAVEL DISCOUNTS
aopa.org/cars
aopa.org/hotels
AOPA PILOT INFORMATION
CENTER HOURS
Do you have questions or need
information about an aviation topic?
Access the team of aviation experts in
our Pilot Information Center during our
convenient weekday hours. Call
800-USA-AOPA (872-2672) Monday
through Friday, 8:30 a.m. until
6 p.m. Eastern time, with your
questions and our staff will be
happy to assist you.
Visit the website (aopa.org/
membership) to learn more about the
benefits of AOPA membership.
ALWAYS LEARNING BY SARAH DEENER
Senior Director of Publications/
Editor SARAH DEENER is an
instrument-rated commercial
pilot who's putting off the
instructor certifi cate until her
youngest is out of diapers.
sarah.deener@aopa.org
saturated tend to devolve into disjointed
partial sentences or taper out completely;
if I can't clearly articulate what I'm
doing, it's a likely cue I'm not performing
that task to the standard I should. Clear
communication demands clear thinking,
so saying it out loud even when no one
is in the right seat helps me clarify for
myself precisely what I should be doing.
That clarity helps when it's tempting
to fall into halfh earted corrections,
noncommittal drifting, or maybe-no-onewill-notice
hedging. Even on track and in
level fl ight, fl ying isn't a passive endeavor.
Each declaration we make is an assertion
that we know what's happening, have
identifi ed the correct action to take, and
are taking charge to execute it.
SAY IT WITH ME
I had the needle of the course deviation indicator centered
when my instructor recited a clearance for an instrument
approach into Gettysburg Regional Airport in Pennsylvania.
With her playing the role of air traffi c control, the clearance
would allow me to descend to within 700 feet of the surface
referencing only the fl ight instruments and the CDI-no outside
references allowed. So, I toggled through menus on the GPS,
activated the approach, and turned my attention back to the
instruments. But something had changed.
The magenta needle had drifted one dot right, my heading 15 degrees left.
Naively hoping to correct the error before my instructor noticed, I started a gentle
correction to the right.
" Watch your needles, " she said, pointing at my still-errant CDI.
I was fi xing it, I wanted to argue. But I wasn't. If I were fi xing it, it would
have been fi xed. Instead, I'd turned to my original heading, fl ying parallel to the
approach course but not on it. And, since I'd never said my intentions out loud, it
wasn't clear to her if that slow right turn was correction or wandering.
In our debrief after that instrument profi ciency check, my CFI urged me to
say what I'm doing-out loud. That way she'd know when I was correcting and
could observe my thought processes for briefi ng the approach and confi guring
the airplane. Plus, the skill of verbalizing my actions would come in handy on
future checkrides.
" You're going to go for your CFI, right? " (CFIs love to give this gentle nudge-of
course you are.) Instructors need to explain what they're doing while they're doing
it, which is a complex skill set involving profi ciency in the maneuver itself, an
understanding of the steps required, and divided attention between performing the
maneuver and coherently describing it.
Even though I'm not (yet) pursuing my fl ight instructor certifi cate, these are all
good reasons to verbalize my actions during every fl ight. My callouts when I'm task
6
FLIGHT TRAINING JUNE 2023
EACH DECLARATION WE
MAKE IS AN ASSERTION
THAT WE KNOW WHAT'S
HAPPENING AND ARE
TAKING CHARGE.
I am working on more consistently
talking through my actions, from prefl ight
through shutdown. While checking fuel
and oil levels during prefl ight, reciting
the quantity out loud helps me process
the number and commit it to memory.
On climbout, calling out altitudes
approaching level-off keeps me from
overshooting, and then running through
the cruise checklist out loud gives me the
assurance that the fl ight is on track and
under control. My landings are best when
I talk through fl ap and power settings
throughout the traffi c pattern and
verbalize my corrections on the approach.
This is all easier without an audience.
But the more I make a habit of talking to
myself on routine fl ights, the easier it will
be to do so with an instructor or examiner
watching. And, however silly it might
feel to treat my passengers to a running
commentary of every switch I fl ip, I think
they'll appreciate the insight into what's
happening on the fl ight.
And, the next time I drift off course on
an instrument approach, I promise to fess
up and fi x it. FT
We welcome your comments. Please email
flighttraining@aopa.org. Comments will be
edited for style and space.
FLIGHT TRAINING JULY 2023
5
MIKE FIZER
http://www.aopa.org/apps/myaopamembership http://pic.aopa.org http://www.airsafetyinstitute.org http://www.aopafinance.org http://www.aopa.org/membership/personal http://www.aopa.org/creditcard http://www.aopafoundation.org http://www.aopa.org/pps http://www.aopa.org/cars http://www.aopa.org/hotels http://www.aopa.org/membership http://www.aopa.org/membership http://www.aopa.org/100UL http://www.aopa.org/100ul http://www.aircraftspruce.com
Flight Training - July 2023

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Flight Training - July 2023
