For crosswind rule of thumb what I teach my students is what I call the clock method. So each degree off the I think of as a minute. 15° = 15 mins or 25% of the clock 30°= 30 mins or 50% of the clock 45°= 45 mins or 75% of the clock. 60° = 60 mins or 100% of the clock. So essentially 30° off of the runway 50% of the wind is XWind. 45° off of the runway 75% of the wind is XWind. Then anything more that 60° off you might as well call 100% XWind. Example: Wind 360° @ 10 Runway 33 30° of is a 5kt XWind and
TOD really depends on your ground speed. The way I do it, is once I know how far I need to descend, that tells me the time it takes @ whatever descent rate, convert to fraction of an hour, mutliply by ground speed = distance to reach TOD. ie 9000 feet, down to 2000 feet, leaves 7000 feet to descend @ 500 ft/m. That will take (14 minutes / 60 ) x ground speed (say 125) = 29 nm.
@@relentless2002 at the end of the day thats what matters but remember that we gotta decide which runway as quick as possible and adding whole numbers is much easier/faster
For the crosswind i like to take the difference between the wind direction and runway heading and use that at a % of the total wind. Using your example: Wind 060 Runway 090 Total wind 9 The difference is 30, so the cross wind is 30% of 9kts, which is a little less than 3!
And if your plane doesn't have a manifold pressure gauge, you an reduce your rpm 1 inch for each 100 fpm rate of descent. 4 inches = 400 fpm. PS: it works in reverse too... each 100 rpm increase = 100 fpm rate of climb. The key to both adjusting MP or RPM is to have the plane trimmed for straight and level before reducing or increasing power THEN don't touch the trim. Pitch controls airspeed, so if you're trimmed for 110 kts and you add or reduce power (MP or RPM) you will still fly at your trimmed airspeed of 110 kts.
VHF (line-of-sight to ground) reception range in nautical miles is approx. 12*sqrt(FL), where sqrt(FL) is the square-root of your height above ground in hundreds of feet. E.g. even the first 100ft will give you 12nm reception range. At 900ft expect 36nm. At 2500ft expect 60nm. At 6400ft 96nm. At 10000ft 120nm. At 14400ft we expect 144nm reception range (that is a fun one; I know, I am a kid at heart). I find a certain elegance to this rule of thumb.
the takeoff decision short came in pretty handy for me back in Dec 2011. I was attempting takeoff on a high density alt 2950 foot runway with obstacles on both sides. As a precaution I chose a V1 point along the runway, that if I didn't build speed at, I wud abort. Standard short runway takeoff procedure applied on the 1979 continental Cessna hawk xp 2, (full static power flaps 10, lean mixture, prop manifold in, breaks in)...didnt work, twice. This was Dec 2011. Taxied back to the parking, switched off, took a walk in open 10c air and thought about why the aircraft wasn't speeding. A lot of things cud have been contributing, but here we were at a high density altitude airport, 5500 foot, and I am thinking the flaps that worked per the POH at lower elev airports, are acting like speed brakes here. So I taxied back to the end of the runway, hit brakes, applied power, leaned mixture no flaps and off I went. This time the aircraft easily went past the VR at the decision point. This procedure was vital. The calcs helped me stop within 3 feet of the runway end (normal breaking) and if I hadn't been careful, I wud have surely hit trees pushing, hoping to catch more speed down the runway.
There's a great book out there that I always encouraged my students to make recommended reading titled "mental math for pilots". Best money I ever spent.
Excellent video. everything from the editing, the methodology, brilliant! I am using "your" 50/70 takeoff rule whenever I do short field takeoffs. It's an easy sanity check.
Great Rules - have been following you and your family flights here and on Piper Forum. From this conservative 40+ year experienced pilot I will suggest an alternate rule to the 70-50 rule on take off. As I live in the northwest most of the year (so Cal in winters), I am in and out of many smaller fields. On a short field the 70-50 rule does not provide me with the safety that I want. Think about a 2100 ft runway. The 70-50 rule will put you off the end of the runway or into the fence if you decide to abort most likely. My rule: If not off the ground at the 50% point, then I abort. This will work for ALL FIELDS of course. No math, no tough decision to make and room to abort and stop and save plane and or passengers. Most pilots think that they can make a decision , abort and stop far faster than is realistic.
Great video as usual and great tips. One thing you might like to reconsider is decent planning. Heavy metal use the 3 degree decent plan because their cabins are pressurised and the 3 degree works out for an efficient glide. In a light aircraft, following a 3 degree glide path will obviously mean a differing rate of decent depending on ground speed. The key here though is passenger comfort. Ideally a good aiming point is around 500 ft per min for ear pressure change limits, especially if one is a little blocked up or struggles with pressure changes, can’t valsalva etc. For seasoned flyers, higher rate of decent is fine and your 3 degrees will be fine in your machine but to aim for 500 ft/min ground speed with determine your decent point. EG. 180kts = 3 miles/min so altitude changes in thousands x3 then x 2 (because it’s 500’/min not 1000) plus and slowdown distance you need. Just another way of doing things.
Vertical speed required 3 degree glideslope: Ground speed x 5 140 x 5 = 700 Or some pilots may find this easier (Ground speed x 10) / 2 140 x10 = 1400 then divide by 2 = 700 If you have a calculator onboard the real number is closer to 5.3 The tangent of 3 degrees for one nautical mile (6076.11549 feet) is 318.435719 feet. Ground speed divided by 60 to get feet per minute is a rate of 5.307261 The example of 140 ground speed is really 743 fpm.
If you have a calculator onboard you can use 318 value (vertical feet per nautical mile at 3 degree slope) for a more accurate Top Of Decent planning.. 5000 decent divided by 318 would be 15.7 nautical miles. [The x3 rule uses a value of 333 feet which why it is you end up late] For a 2.5 slope the value is 265 (265.283942). 5000 decent divided by 265 would be 18.9 nautical miles. [The x4 rule uses a value of 250 feet which why it is you end up early]
@@SoCalFlyingMonkey Of course!! I love the videos that you are doing. the cinematography look on the videos is what keeps me watching them (IK I am weird like that). As a private pilot (going for instrument) on east coast, I appreciate these types of GA videos. Maybe one day, I will start if I get time between work, college and flight school LOL.
For the first rule, wouldn’t a direct (90 degree crosswind) be multiplied by 1.5? If the wind is from 090 and the runway is heading 360 and winds are 12 knots. 90/10 = 9 9/6 = 1.5 1.5 * 12 = 18 By this rule, the crosswind component would be 18 knots, but in reality, it is 12. This seems quite inaccurate. Is it just accurate for when the wind is less than 50ish degrees? Not to criticize, but this seems like a bad rule. Or is it intentionally increasing it for a margin of safety?
for angles greater than 60 the crosswind is the full value of the wind strength. It's pretty much all crosswind at that point. I should have specified that! Will update the notes.
One calculation I've used quite a bit in 17 years of private flying is a fuel burn calculation. As a general rule, internal combustion gasoline engines burn approximately 1/2 pound of gasoline per horsepower per hour. Now, before the armchair commentators chime in, this is a "general rule". Some engines burn .4 lbs, some as much as .6 lbs, but about 1/2 pound is a good ballpark number. This number is a factor of the amount of BTUs in a gallon of gasoline. So here's an example: 200hp engine running at 75% power is producing 150hp. At that power setting, you should burn 75 pounds (1/2 pound per horsepower) of fuel per hour. Fuel is 6 pounds per gallon, so you should burn about 12.5 gallons per hour. That may sound steep for a 200hp engine, but I would rather calculate for that burn and give myself the extra margin.
@@flatbedtaco I knew it wouldn't be long before someone commented that this calculation was too high. :-D Again, this is only a generalization. It's a calculation that Spartan School of Aeronautics taught their A&Ps. A 100hp Cessna 150 burning 1/2 lb of fuel per hp/hour, running at 60% power, should burn 5 gallons an hour. What do you typically burn?
@@flatbedtaco Yep, it's just a ballpark calculation, but it definitely gets you in the neighborhood. I only have about 350 hours, but I have time in over 20 types of aircraft. This calculation has helped me out a lot over the years when flying different types of aircraft with different power.
Are your mounts on some sort of gimbal? I notice the camera does not move with the aircraft but rather seems almost like you have a steadicam type mount. It’s really impressive and unique
They are not- the GoPro 7 as automatic stabilization and it has a slight gimbal like feel. Some shots are with the Insta360 which has amazing stabilization since it is a 360 capture. Most of the shots are just GoPro7. I have an ongoing video series on my Patreon site (patreon.com/socalflyingmonkey) about camera mounts and settings if you want a deep dive/tutorial.
Thank you! I must have missed that point. The other factor in my crosswind planning is my personal minimum of 10 knots crosswind, and 15 for the airplane. Either my winds will be below that, or I will find another airport for landing. Another thing I learned from Air Force flying is to simply say, "Tower, say Winds." You don't have to say your call sign or thank them afterwards They do it with alacrity, and everyone on Approach or in the pattern benefits. Thanks again.
Who did your paint? I am in Florida and just had a panel upgrade from Jesse Saint and am looking for good paint shop. Any suggestions would be appreciated.
It was East Coast but they did not do a good job on the fiberglass work on the cowl and tip tanks, despite charging me a LOT extra so I don;t recommend them.
So what’s the crosswind component for : RWY 32 260@20kts ? Based on your Rule it’s 320-260=60, 6/6 of 20 is 20. But in reality it’s 17kts NOT 20 ? Did I miss something?
I'm a bit confused about the reduction in maneuvering speed. I though maneuvering speed is the maximum speed at which full deflection of any rudder, aileron or elevator will not cause damage to the airframe. Why does the maneuvering speed decrease when the aircraft is lighter? The forces necessary should diminish when there's less mass to be moved around, so I'd imagine the maneuvering speed either stays the same or even increases?! (I suspect it would stay the same since the aircraft will generate x amount of force with y amount of deflection, so the speed should stay the same, just the turns get tighter.) Stall speed is something completely different, that should obviously decrease with a lighter plane, but I don't think you were talking about that since your numbers were way higher (and you plane definitely doesn't look like an airliner ;-))
It has to do with angle of attack. This article and embedded video explain it pretty well, and also offer an alternate calculation method. Enjoy! www.aopa.org/news-and-media/all-news/2020/may/flight-training-magazine/ol-maneuvering-speed#:~:text=For%20every%202%2Dpercent%20reduction,maneuvering%20speed%20by%2010%20percent.
My understanding is you hit on the reason there, stall speed. Max maneuvering speed is the top speed where the plane will stall instead of exceeding airframe safe limits.
Excellent rules of thumb. Hi I’m Van Nuys Based flying Challenger 300’s I’d really love to collab. Your channel is amazing and inspired me. Could we share editing tips?
Thanks Brian - I appreciate it. I have a bunch of camera and editing tips specific for aviation videos on my Patreon site at patreon.com/socalflyingmonkey, along with a Discord chat server.
Great video. Here’s one I came up with: CFI asks me to divert. I figure out distance. Then I get time after determine ground speed. Great. “How much fuel?” Uhhhhh. Ok easy math: GPH/10 = 6 minutes. So, if I have a 9 minute distance to my diversion... and I’m burning 8.5gph... .85 every six minutes. Then I’m burning about 1.3 gallons to get to my diversion. Easy peasy in the cockpit.
Awesome tips. Going to have to add these to my Checklist cheat sheet. I use the gross weight speed adjustment on final in my Mooney. Helps with the glide on flare if you’re under the 71 kts at Gross weight by 2 kts per 100 lbs.
@@SoCalFlyingMonkey I wouldn’t go THAT far in my F! 😂 But, at least I’m not having to worry about a go around when I haven’t touched down after 1700’ of runway on my 3000’ home strip.
Dude this is so awesome. I think that people underestimate how hard it can be to do calculations while staying ahead of the airplane - these rules of thumb help a ton! I learned something today - WOOOOOOO!
My rule of thumb that is most definitely NOT scientific by any means, but my CFI taught me during my primary training - if you have an engine failure, in most standard aircraft like the C150 I was training in, if you hold your arm up about 2 feet in front of your face and do the thumbs up signal - put the tip of your thumb on the horizon, and wherever your first thumb knuckle sits is approximately where you will make ground contact at perfect glide. I have tested it a few times, and it is by no means scientific, but in a pinch, it gets you a visual in the ballpark. Works at any altitude.
@@SoCalFlyingMonkey I hope you never do as well! - Great video today by the way. I did not know the crosswind quick math. Will definitely put that in the arsenal!
Good video About xwings I use Decrab, Is not , Crab angle ,or Sideslip, Is combinatión of the las 2, but you land with LG level, I used from Pitts to Airbus 320, also on DC-3, C-46, and DC-6 in all been Captain. And for a Glide 3°, descend , you must loose 300' x 1 NM, and for that Is G/Speed , d ivide by 2 example 140/2=70, so you add a 0 that Is 700/minute, of descend, well shortly I Will have Manual where I talk about that, and more. "Happy Landings"
Good stuff…… My favourite, helps me know the aircraft is accelerating for take off correctly… 6 seconds to 60kt. It’s a bit type specific, but works nicely in our 60 year old Comanche!
Another one: A friend of mine showed me, is when they changed from F to C for ATIS, a lot of older planes have Farenheit temps in their takeoff and landing calculations. Easy conversion to get close: Cx2+22=F It is always within about 5 of the actual temp.
The 200 & 20 rule for finding reciprocal headings is a good one. If your heading is 162, add 200 (362), and subtract twenty (342). And if the heading you want to find the reciprocal of is to the west (180-360) you subtract 200 first then add 20.
Hey! As someone who has been to Whiteman a few times, I would like to know what the C.A.P. crash will mean for the airport. Councilwoman Monica Rodriguez has already stated that she thinks the airport should be turned in to houses. As someone who is probably way more knowledgeable in the matter, will there be any changes at KWHP?
He should have actually talked about "the rule of thumb"....which is using your thumb as a measuring instrument on a map if you forgot your distance ruler.
Great information to pass on to all of us. Thank you very much for sharing. I got a few things out of this video, and will be one I watch again before my written and checkride.
Rule 1 is nice because you can pretty much interpret any 60 degree or more crosswind as direct. For Rule 4, I know a lot of people use that and it’s good. But I’d encourage people to incorporate landing ground roll into their distance. If you’ve reached half the runway and have to abort, running off the end of the runway will only be a less painful crash. My runway minimum is 1.5x my takeoff roll (which is takeoff roll plus the delay of realizing the plane is not performing), then add expected ground roll. On a hot summer day in a Cherokee 140 at gross weight, that usually tops out at about 2000 feet.
what's the idea behind the weight adjusted v_a? i don't understand how it's lower for a lighter airplane. it seems to me that this rule only applies to weight in the wings (fuel). as the fuselage gets heavier the stress on the wing increases, so wouldn't you have to assume a lower v_a (both for gust loads and control surface deflection) as you add passengers and luggage?
Question for you. I watch all your videos and am getting my own plane soon. Can you go over the use and operation of your SL30. I haven’t found any good videos and how to use it.
The SL30 has so many awesome features but I only really use it as a basic comm and occasionally check the nav signal on it. I am not that well versed in the more involved functions. However, I have read the manual when I first got it and it does go over all those fancy features pretty well. I think I should brush up on it actually.
For the first rule of thumb....according what you stated, if you have a 6 knot wind, with a 70% difference between runway and wind direction.... knock off the 0 and you get 7. 7/6 multiplied by 6(wind direction) is 7. How can you have a 7 knot crosswind if the wind is only going 6knotts.
3:21 flying and doors not closed. That's twice now I've seen in flight issues with doors not being closed. That can only mean either you are not doing your pre-takeoff checklist, or whoever is in the front right seat is not checking.
I've replaced the eyebolts and clevis pins and added/taken away washers and adjusted the strike plate. The door is properly closed. The pins are engaged in the strike plate and the latch is closed. It's an 11,000 hour airframe. You can see the smallest amount of light from the inside if you get your head in the right place. Just barely. It's 100% safe and probably not affecting the performance of the plane- maybe 1/8 of a knot I dont know...That's as good as that door gets.