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Learn to Beat the Hazards of Winter Flying
By Alan Smith
When summer and fall have passed and the hard cold of winter has set in we have to be careful in setting up our airplanes for safe operation. Fuel, oil and flying surfaces need special care and preflight preparation will take a lot longer than it did in the days of warm sunshine. Flying through winter skies, whether gray or blue, also needs special care as cold temperatures get colder with altitude.
On preflight being careful with your fuel is important. Never park your airplane with partial or fully empty tanks. We all know that on a cool summer night condensation will occur in partially full tanks, but, in winter, you could have ice in the tanks that would not show up in a cursory drain check in preflight inspection. Drain each tank separately by at least a quart into a transparent container and look for any solid contamination along with water. In winter, storage tanks, even those underground, can acquire rust. Fuel delivery from them drops off during the cold season and the reduction of underground temperatures can cause a slight shrinkage in metal storage facilities and let internal surface corrosion work into stored fuel. These tanks can also acquire water through condensation.
Light Sport Flying with In Flight USA - February 2011
Sport Pilot and Winter Flying
By Ed Downs
At first glance, one might conclude that winter flying as a Sport Pilot, or operation of an S-LSA, caries the same cautions applicable to all pilots and aircraft. To an extent, that is true, but there are a couple of special considerations.
Any article about winter flying needs to talk about the potential of IFR encounters. The reader’s first thought may be, “What IFR – Sport Pilots nor LSA’s are allowed to fly IFR – so why even talk about it?” Well, that is not quite true. There is nothing within the ASTM Consensus Standards that prohibit an S-LSA from being flown IFR. IFR restrictions are completely up to the airframe and engine manufacturer. The ability to operate an S-LSA in Instrument Meteorological Conditions (IMC) will be clearly stated in the Pilot Operating Handbook. To be sure, most S-LSA manufacturers do prohibit the use of their aircraft in IMC, but several S-LSAs specifically allow IFR flight, given the installation of a specific engine and/or equipment. But, even if IFR flight is allowed, there may be limitations, such as “no flight into known icing conditions.” It is very important to give that POH a good read, as it is required to contain a number of certification limitations that are established by the manufacturer, not the ASTM standards or FAA. Do not fall into the trap of thinking that the words of one POH speak for all S-LSAs.