Dick Rochfort is a full-time Master Certified Flight Instructor providing type-specific, insurance-approved initial, recurrent and instructor standardization training, buyer consulting, aircraft relocation and expert witness services to Piper PA46 (M350, M500, M600, Matrix, Malibu, Mirage, and Meridian) owners, pilots and instructors worldwide.
He holds ATP and Gold Seal Flight Instructor Certificates with CFII, MEI, and CE-525S ratings. He is accredited by the National Association of Flight Instructors (NAFI) as a Silver Legacy Master Instructor having held the Master designation for over 20 years.
His training program is FITS (FAA Industry Training Standards) approved and FAA Wings approved and fully insured.
Dick, you stopped the video just when it was getting good. Could you post the rest of the video and talk about how you should have deviated to left earlier? We all want to learn and no judgement here.
Hi, I think the battery died at a bad time, but in answer to your question. We always plan for airframe ice by limiting our exposure to light ice only using the CIP/FIP in the vertical profile on Foreflight prior to the flight. In this case the preflight brief allowed us to know we would likely be ice free just 2k feet below. Check out the playlist on airframe ice on my channel. Fly Safely - Train Often .. DR
in the video you say when flying a heading you put the radar bearing pointer on zero left or right as the plane is flying the lubber line. But, would you not want to put the bearing pointer of the radar where the aircraft is actually tracking? Seems if you have a 50 knot cross wind you could have the bearing pointer pointed one direction but the plane actually traveling another??
Hi Neil, Sorry my comment wasn’t very clear, but if you review the video again you may notice that I was referring to the white dashed track line which was coincident with the lubber line. Hence the need to select 0 degrees L on the radar profile. Check some of my other vids on the rain showers and thunderstorms play list. Fly Safely - Train Often .. DR
If the encounter is more than light ice; AP OFF, maintain minimum ice penetration speed or more, leave the area, announce your intentions and declare an emergency if needed. Fly Safely - Train Often .. DR
You have so much expertise and your student is clearly not at the same level. I wish you were asking him questions that would help him to learn to interpret all those sophisticated weather tools. If I was your student in this scenario, I would have been very impressed with your capabilities but I would be unable to replicate your analysis later.
Hi Daniel, Thank you for your comment. There is a great deal of post flight preparation and post flight debriefing that is not in this short video. Sorry you missed it. Fly Safely - Train Often .. DR
Thanks for the visceral demonstration on how so many pilots get in bad trouble in these high performance pressurized planes that don't require a type rating. I've never seen that myself in such detail.
Thanks for sharing. CRM seemed a little lacking there - the student seemed confused at all the instructions that were thrown at him. Once you pushed the nose down and were in clear air there really wasn’t an emergency so maybe taking a few seconds to calm things down and to summarize the situation and the next steps would be helpful? Since you brought up medicine, SBAR (Situation, Background, Assessment and Recommendation) is often used to summarize the issue and recommended resolution. You might want to try it out.
CRM is a tricky thing to teach in single pilot aircraft. I focus on immediate action drills and simple rules, most of which is provided in preflight briefings and post flight debriefs. Fly Safely - Train Often .. DR
Disengaging yaw damp at FL250 is wild, autopilot maybe but yaw damp needs to stay on. I also wouldn't advise disengaging AP in this scenario, just get a descent going, you're unnecessarily increasing workload, he was clearly overloaded there.
Hi Caprica, Thanks for your comments. The PA46 elevator has an “over center” portion that allows ice forming in that area to “freeze” the elevator surface to the horizontal stabilizer. The autopilot must come off to prevent a runaway trim. Next I wanted to physically touch the manual trim wheel to verify it is not running. I asked the pilot training to begin a descent as my PFD did not show a descent and we were loosing airspeed. He was likely answering me while looking at descent rate. This aircraft has two completely separate airspeed systems and I wanted to confirm the speed on both sides to be matched. We likely got in a downdraft.. 2000ft per minute at one point . As the medical profession is trained to “FIRST, do no harm”, so should pilots. Fly Safely - Train Often .. DR
@@RWRPilotTraining Not sure I agree with your assessment in this case. The yoke did not indicate that the AP was reacting with a continuous nose up pitch to the icing event. While I cannot see the trim wheel, the assumption is that AP was merely reacting to the turbulence. Also worthy to note that FL250 is the top of the aircraft service ceiling if I am not mistaken. When you disengaged, re-entered a known icing level with a down elevator, the danger was greater for elevator lock because now the elevator has departed its neutral position and may lock nose down. Using the trim (AKA allowing AP to manage the descent or manual if you wanted) eliminates that scenario. You can more likely recover from a frozen trim than a down elevator position. Attempting a simultaneous AP disengage and descent (regardless what the PFD says) ignores the aerodynamic factors you were encountering. It just seemed you were reacting to icing but not taking into account the turbulence will do crazy things to IAS, in this case appeared that the decrease in airspeed was temporary due to turbulence and not icing. As you know, IAS is more sensitive at altitude and TAS is sometimes a better indicator as to how the aircraft will react. I think it would have been better to stabalize the aircraft, be aware of the IAS, and then make the adjustments to altitude. Still a lot of good lessons in this brief video, thanks for posting. Hopefully you reported a PIREP after that as well.
Hi Matt, Yes indeed. Easier said than done. This was the pilot training’s first ice experience. The area was forecast to be light ice only, but there you have it.
I didn't see what led up to this, but 105IAS at 250 really caught my attention. About 10 knots lost from ice and ATC needs to know you NEED to move. Looked like you were going through some tops. I've picked up moderate at -25c and descended just 2k, out of the tops, and ice became manageable again. 30 knots of lost airspeed in an underpowered plane like a malibu is pretty scary. You may have been only a few knots from the critical angle of attack. On a piston it really snowballs. You lose that airspeed that already doesn't have a big buffer and now you've lost your engine cooling as well because of lost airflow. This particular situation should have been avoided via preflight planning. Known weather and -20c at your can's ceiling should have prompted either a lower altitude or a delay. PA46's are FIKI but anything with boots shouldn't do anything but transit icing conditions. These planes are breaking up at an alarming rate from less experienced pilots doing this. Stay safe!
Hi Bonanza Pilot.. Thanks for your comments. You are spot on with your analysis. This was a training flight focusing on rain showers/radar and CIP/FIP airframe ice scenarios. This specific area was forecast by the CIP/FIP to be light ice only. The airspeed issue concerned us the most. Sometimes I find that this is the result of not leaving the area soon enough. In this instance the pilot training did not begin the descent soon enough. In fact he even climbed a little bit coming off the AP due to the updraft. It was his first icing experience and while it was a bit more than we expected he did the right thing. When we debriefed, the updated CIP/FIP showed areas of light and moderate ice! It is also important to note that an area with a PIREP for light ice from a 737 is off limits to a GA aircraft. Same way each and every time.. SWEET! Fly Safely - Train Often .. DR
What's the context? Is that a FIKI airplane and or turbine or piston? How to manage that if you have to also keep an eye on CHTs as well? Or so you disregard those in such an event?
@@markusp1788 Hi Mark, The PA46 Malibu Mirage is a FIKI equipped 350 HP piston aircraft. No power changes were required since airspeed was maintained by starting a descent. Engine temperature does increase slightly when operating with alternate induction air open which is standard practice when operating in the presence of visible moisture. Fly Safely - Train Often .. DR
Dick, absolutely love your videos. I’m a 24 yo professional pilot. I didn’t learn any of this until I was flying in the real corporate world. Your content is the kind of critical stuff they do not teach in flight school. Thank you for taking the time to make these!
@@marklittle9913 Hi Mark, Thank you for your comment. If the radar you operate doesn’t have a vertical profile mode, and based on your comment I suspect it does not, you will need to paint less ground. In this case Archie Trammel recommends the outer quadrant painting ground return. The horizontal view shows the water alright, but FNGs have a harder time trusting it. The vertical profile is not sensitive to ground return and therefore paints rain more clearly. With over 10,000 hours flying with various PA46 radars I have learned the reliability of the vertical profile. It is the easiest way to see rain. Look through my play list of rain showers and thunderstorms and see if you don’t agree. Let me know your questions. I look forward to working with you. Fly Safely - Train Often .. DR
@@RWRPilotTraining I quit counting at 25k hours, and yes, we have a vertical profile mode. Archie was a smart dude, but he's been gone a long time and there have been significant advancements since his day. Raise that tilt and get away from from the ground clutter. Cheers.
The vid really didn't give any actual info for a transition, and what to expect. I've been looking for a true flying vid of the transition, and what do I need to say to the tower. also.... will ATC set me up on a long final like a normal approach? will they hand me to tower and expect me to enter the pattern like I was just a VFR flight? If that's the case.... why would the "Visual" be any different than me just canceling my IFR and contacting the tower? I've talked to so many people who are either fresh CFII's or fresh IR.... and they can't answer it either. (We don't train for the visual) I've had my IR for about a month now, and have only been asked if I wanted the visual once.... and since I didn't know what to expect, I just asked to stay with the ILS. The approach and tower at my local airport knows we are a training airport, and they won't get mad if I mess up.... but I would really like to see a start to finish approach to visual demonstration.
Good question. The visual approach is still an instrument approach but done in VMC. The value is that you can get priority for the arrival and a modified base or straight in.. whatever is expeditious. This works best at a towered airport. Controllers and most pilots like visuals because it speeds things up for everybody. Go back and read what the FAA says about them. Visuals are easy and safe but you must have the airport in sight. Also consider the contact approach which requires 1 mile visibility and clear of clouds and reasonably certain to stay that way. Fly Safely - Train Often .. DR
@@RWRPilotTraining Reading on the contact approach seams sketchy to me. I'm going out today and shooting some approaches at a local airport.... maybe I'll file, and ask for the visual when I get back to KJST.
Thanks for the explanations. I was a passenger several times on this. The Pilot showed some things. But in your video everything is explained in detail 👍
Holding AT the fix seems straightforward with more then one way to accomplish this. What about if there is a distance from a fix that is designated as your holding point. I.e, hold east of the hurtz 090/25. If you want to use the 750/650 the only way I could see to define your holding fix was to create a user waypoint and then plug that into the flight plan and build your hold from there. Am I missing something??
Hi Mark.. You might be right depending on what navigator you are operating. New versions like the 650/750 give the pilot the option to make a waypoint at the present position. You could also adjust the range of the map to put the needed distance on the arc, go to the OBS mode and select the inbound course. This might be faster.. Fly Safely - Train Often .. DR
Dick, is there a reason you kept reprimanding this student for talking himself through the procedures? Is this your general guidance or something specific to this student’s needs?
Hi Jim, Thank you for your question. This was not so much of a reprimand as it was a reminder. We had already discussed the idea that good listening means not talking to yourself in a busy traffic pattern. I believe this is a good habit to have. Fly Safely - Train Often .. DR
Hi Dick Rockfort! Watching your vids and they are so nice, so instructive! I got a question: I saw that You usually set Gear/Up, Flaps/Up during a go around sequence. Is this related to flap positions ‘cause what I do is to set Flaps/Up - or to lower angles - if flaps were set to landing positions, then +ROC, Gears/Up, Nav, A/P, FLC adjust, Flaps on schedule, Thrust: Climb, TO, MTO, whatever… My G/A sequence is to prevent a downdraft that might forces the plane back to ground, without L/G extended. Thanks for posting! Good Flights, good vibes! 🍾😉🇧🇷
Hi, thank you for your question. The most important aspect of the go-round is making a timely decision. A good decision made too soon is a bad decision. A good decision made too late is a bad decision. With this concept in mind, it will be important to understand the decision altitude, decide on how you’re going to assess the visibility, and and then decide at the proper moment to go or continue. If you decide to go, the process is the same as the takeoff. it is as follows: Pitch and power, positive rate of climb, gear up, flaps up, trim the aircraft engage the auto pilot. It’s important to make this decision in a timely fashion, so it’s not to be affected by wind shear. The POH should be considered. I welcome your comments. Fly Safely - Train Often .. DR
Hi Dan, the POH is pretty honest about fuel burn. I suspect it averages somewhere around 45 however, anything other than high-speed Kruse is not worthy of consideration in my view. Hope this information helps. Fly Safely - Train Often .. DR
I like your videos, I am flying on C340 in Switzerland and mostly over Alps. I am using GWX 75 without option for ground supression and turbulance detection. I have problem to distinguish wether from ground over Alps.
Mountains or not .. the vertical profile works the same. Look for asymmetry in the vertical profile at the top.. Here is an example.. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-97rSpoMhm5g.html Fly Safely - Train Often .. DR
The Honeywell RDR2000 on the older aircraft and the Garmin equipment on the newer aircraft.. all are 10 inch antennas Garmin has more power but they all work the same with the vertical profile.. Fly Safely - Train Often .. DR
Hi, Thank you for the question.. The descent angle depends on conditions .. anywhere from 1.5 degrees to 3 degrees. The G3000 equipped turboprop aircraft use degrees; the pistons use feet per minute.. 600-1200 FPM. Fly Safely - Train Often .. DR
Hi Dave, certainly. The bug I am talking about is the magenta diamond on the CDI bezel. It sits at the top of the white dashed line. Those two items represent the ground track of the aircraft. My idea there is to use this information to parallel the runway. Putting the wing tip on the runway puts the aircraft on a downwind wider than slower airplanes, and gives the pilot a better view of the overall situation. It also allows for a wider turn consistent with a slightly higher airspeed in the pattern. Fly Safely - Train Often .. DR
So nice of NEXRAD to have an outage in an area right along your route. And rather typical as well. On the West Coast there is an area like this in SE Oregon with no NEXRAD coverage, so perennially grayed out. More than one airplane has come to grief there trying to navigate around embedded convection without benefit of onboard radar. Did this M600 have the GWX-8000 upgrade? I have found that the auto mode in the GWX-8000 is incredible, it will easily and reliably paint cells 80-120 miles away. Not bad for a 10" antenna.
Hi Carl, excellent points thank you for your comments. The outages of nexrad in the west don’t particularly concern me because they aren’t that large and anyone willing to pay attention to next. Read when they’re tactically avoiding rain. Showers and thunderstorms is taking huge risks. Radar is essential for these missions. Fly Safely - Train Often .. DR
Dick, love your videos. Been watching them a long time. I also fly an M600 for work, along with Pilatus PC12. Assuming you were cleared for the approach, Instead of the "VS flick flick" habit, why not VNAV this approach down from DUCES? One less thing for the pilot to remember to have to do. Especially with the autothrottle...you can VNAV and set AT to 130 KIAS for icing speed and VO.
Thank you for your post. VNAV works well when the descent is planned advance. I like VS for last minute clearances because it can be done quickly. Both are great techniques. Fly Safely - Train Often .. DR
Thanks for your question. Yes, sometimes that is better. That strategy is contraindicated If the CIP/FIP in the vertical profile view in Foreflight shows anything more than light ice or if the service ceiling (FL280 without RVSM) is in the layer. Fly Safely - Train Often .. DR
Yes.. and there was some confusion on my part as to which runway we were looking at because I could not see the larger parallel runway on the left and the synthetic vision was depicting the assigned right side as the larger of the two. I am curious about that. I had not seen that before. Fly Safely - Train Often .. DR
I have customers in the 6-3 - 6-4 range and they seem to do just fine. I recommend you stop by the Piper dealer and see for yourself. Fly Safely - Train Often .. DR
Good stuff, Dick. This is my go-to view for a final go/no-go decision. For an icing/turbulence outlook that goes beyond the 15 hours presented in ForeFlight, Windy has icing and turbulence forecasts based off Euro and GFS out 10 days or so. I imagine these visualizations are built of the forecast soundings, and, of course, the likelihood of a forecast validating goes down a ton after 24 hours or so. It may be only the paid version of windy, but I find that small subscription to be very much worth it.
Yes indeed. Pilots need a way to see potential threats clearly and quickly. The Foreflight profile CIP/FIP-Turbulence view is conservative and it is the best I know of in this regard.. Fly Safely - Train Often .. DR
Great video as always. And particularly relevant for me as we were also at BFI yesterday in our M350 and we delayed our departure for Eugene until around 330 pm not because of ice but because of the CB’s over and south of the airport. Despite the CIP and the turbulence forecast the flight was smooth at FL190 with no ice on departure and only light ice descending into EUG. The forecasting tools are good but another important element yesterday were the PIREPS which were all for light ice at the most along our route. Profile view in FF is good but you also get an expanded view of the same in the “Vertical Cross Section” tab under briefings, no time slider but sometimes easier to view than the flight plan profile. Lastly I’m curious to know what your experience has been with negotiating a non-standard departure with ATC around a busy Class B like SEA, yesterday they would have given you the NRVNA1 departure from BFI, heading SE, and with all the air carrier flow I suspect it would have been very difficult to try and negotiate a climb to the NW while on an IFR flight plan, unless I was absolutely sure I could get that request granted, in my experience trying to do against the flow stuff rarely if ever works…and I second the previous commenter’s opinion about Windy, yet another very useful program.
Yes indeed! I always file for what I want and have firmly in mind the things I will accept. We did get the published departure as expected. The purpose of filing the route to the Northwest was to identify the route most likely to be ice free. Pireps are always helpful unless there are no pireps. The decision to depart is then based on all available information. It is important to remember that a report of light ice by a B737 defines an area to be avoided by boot equipped aircraft. We made the departure the next day as the weather began to improve. The CIP/FIP tends to be very conservative but my rule remains .. never more than light on the CIP/FIP. Fly Safely - Train Often .. DR
Good point. It’s also true that all pilots should know always enter the whole manual and with various methods using the box. Thanks for the comment. Fly Safely - Train Often .. DR
Dick, on the NXI. After you hit the togo button, do you have to hit the susp button to get the published hold to show up armed? Or will it do it on its own?
Hi Jonathan, The pilot must select the “SUSP’ context sensitive key. This helps prevent inadvertently flying the published MAP procedure when possibly an alternate procedure has been assigned. You can probably see from my video that there is plenty of time to accomplish this once you have your priorities in order.. Fly Safely - Train Often .. DR
At what point does the SUSP key show up on the PFD? Is it best procedure to come down to Minimums. Verify no field, hit TOGO, then NAV, then SUSP? Obviously with pitch up and clean up inside there.
