Hi, I have quite a few questions after going through the Day VFR PPLA syllabus, if anyone could help, it would be greatly appreciated. A lot of them the problem I am having is finding the information, I'm sure it exists somewhere, but I have spent an inordinate amount of time searching.

2.4.2 With respect to the following engine gauges:
- identify reasons for an abnormality
- state pilot actions (if any) to rectify a problem
- state the consequences if the problem cannot be rectified by the pilot
(f) voltmeter.
I'm not sure about the voltmeter in this one - In the POH for the plane I fly it says that the electrical system is 28-volt and that the battery is 24-volt. Does this mean that if the voltage is 24-volt, the alternator isn't working correctly?

2.6.7 List conditions/situations which may result in toppling of gyroscopic instruments and identify conditions under which they would re-erect.
I tried looking this one up but, I could only find information of conditions where they would re-erect if a caging device is used - what happens if there is no caging device? Will they re-erect under particular circumstances?

3.7.1 Recall the intermittent use of navigation and landing lights by an aircraft to indicate
I couldn't find any information on this - would this be Morse code using the lights?

3.7.2 Differentiate between an accident and an incident.
I'm sure I've read about this somewhere but I can't find it in the Bob Tait PPL book or the ATC BAK book. Could someone direct me towards the information?

3.7.3 Extract the requirements applicable to the notification of accidents and incidents.
I know I've seen this somewhere but I just can't find it again. Can anyone direct me to where this is explained? From memory I think it was 72 hours for "routine reportable matters" and as soon as is practical for "immediately reportable matters", But I can't recall what constitutes an immediately reportable or routine reportable matter, other than serious injury.

6.9.2 Describe the effect of a cross-wind on high and low wing aeroplanes during taxi, take-off and landing.
I get the effect of cross-wind, how it can cause yaw, roll and drift, but I'm not sure what the difference between high and low-wing would be?

6.10.2 State the primary control hazard that may result from a vortex encounter.
Would this be longitudinal? as there is usually the least stability about the longitudinal axis?

8.4.1 Explain the following terms/abbreviations:
(f) flap operating speed (VFO) and flap extended speed (VFE)
I'm not too sure what the distinction here. Only V_FE appears in the POH for the C172 that I fly

3.2.2 Extract/apply the rules pertaining to flight and duty time limitations for:
(a) PPL holders
I wasn't able to find this? I found some information on CPL duty times but nothing for PPL

4.1.2 Know the limitations of VHF and HF in terms of quality of reception and range.
I know how to find the range of stations from the ERSA but I don't know in more general terms what kind of distance each can handle. I know that HF can go far greater distances than VHF, is there a general rule about how far each can go? I seem to recall reading some time ago that there are some indicative values for various altitudes, but I can't seem to find these again

4.2.5 Identify indications of normal and abnormal transponder operation and list factors that affect transponder reception.
I couldn't find any information on this one. I'm assuming that frequency and signal power would influence the transponder reception, is there any indicative range? What would constitute abnormal transponder operating? I wasn't aware that the transponder provided any errors, or indications if it isn't working

9.10.2 State/select conditions under which it is mandatory to obtain a forecast
I recall from my BAK study that a forecast was only mandatory when proceeding more than 50nm from the starting aerodrome but I am unable to find where I read this. According to AIP ENR 1.10.1.1/1.10.1.2, there doesn't seem to be any such exception. Is there another document with more detail or have I simply recalled incorrectly?

Thanks!

Hi Scanwinder,

Sorry it took so long to get back to you but here are some answers to your questions:
Voltage is electrical pressure and when the system voltage is set on the voltage regulator, it is several volts above the voltage of the battery. The normal voltage will be about 14V for a 12V system and about 28V with a 24V system. This ensures the alternator/generator are producing a higher voltage than the battery so current is drawn from their output and not from the battery.
If the voltmeter is reading the battery voltage then either the alternator/generator has failed and the power is being supplied by the battery or possibly the system is so heavily loaded that the voltage of the whole system has dropped to that of the battery. Of course the voltage regulator could have also been set incorrectly but that's not so likely.


When a gyrosope's orientation changes in the vertical plane it is said to topple and if it changes in the horizontal plane it is said to drift. Gyros (specifically the AH) can topple if they are exposed to extremes aircraft attitudes. That is why a caging knob is provided for instruments sensitive to toppling. The caging device can lock the gimbals or is used to re-erect the gyro should it topple. The older AH's were prone to toppling but the modern designs are usually able to handle 360 degrees of pitch or roll because they usually won't indicate more than 85 degrees of pitch. Mind you, after prolonged aerobatics theoretically any gyro could be made to topple. Once a gyro has toppled, flying straight and level for a while will give the gyro a chance to re-erect. In older models you sometimes even had to remove the power to the instrument, let the gyro stop and then, in straight and level flight, provide power to the instrument again to get it to re-erect. As I said, the modern ones won't easily topple but if they did, you would need to maintain a straight level flight and wait for the gyros to re-erect.


Check out ERSA EMERG, specifically EMERG 3.4 Note 2 and the interception signals in EMERG 5.12.

Accidents and Incidents are described using the terms of “Immediately Reportable Matters (IRM)” and “Routinely Reportable Matters (RRM)”. The information for these can be found in AIP ENR 1.14.1. I usually equate an accident with an IRM and an incident with a RRM and they vary in their severity. The seciton in the AIP should make it clear.

Yaw: both high and low wing aircraft will tend to weathercock into wind but the high wing aircraft will tend to have more of a problem than the low wing. By nature of their design, the high wing aircraft will tend to have a narrow wheel base because the wheel struts are attached to the fuselage. In low wing aircraft on the other hand, the mains are attached to the wings and are widely spaced. This will make the low wing aircraft more stable on the ground.
Roll: The high wing aircraft suffers here because there is a greater chance for the crosswind to get in underneath the wing and lift it. The wings are above the centre of gravity and this combined with the narrow wheel base will mean any force acting to lift the wing will have a greater effect than on the low wing aircraft. In the low wing, the wings are below the CofG, the wheels are widely spaced and there is less room for the wind to get in under the wing.
Drift: High and low wing aircraft are both prone to drift and to the same extent. Drift is the difference between your heading and your track over the ground. Drift will therefore occur in flight during take off and landing.


A vortex encounter is another term for wake turbulence. This is a rotating vortex of air and the primary control hazard is lateral. The aircraft will roll sometimes uncontrollably when it is hit by wake turbulence.

V_fo if specified, will always be lower than V_fe since some designs of flap need to protect the flap actuators as well as the flaps themselves. While a flap is being deployed the actuator is working to get the flap to a new position and must work against the forces acting on the flap from the relative airflow. Once a flap is locked in position it may well be able to tolerate greater force. V_fo is not always mentioned in the POH in which case you can assume the flaps can be operated at speeds below V_fe. The same principle applies to gear extension V_le and gear operating V_lospeeds. If specified, the lower V_lo speed is designed to protect the gear motors and undercarriage doors from being exposed to high speed airflow while the gear is being extended or retracted.

There are no flight and duty restrictions on PPL operations but private operations do still get counted towards allowed flight times for CPL pilots. PPL pilots are still expected to observe the “fit to fly” principle though and not fly when fatigued.

The standard VHF ranges can be found in AIP GEN 1.5 2.2 “Rated Coverages” but are basically 60nm for 0-4999ft, 90nm for 5000-9999ft, 120nm for 10000-14999ft.


This point is really just covering your practical knowledge of transponder operation and won't go into any great technical depth.
Be aware that a transponder is a line-of-sight beacon so range is limited and affected by altitude, terrain etc.
Know the different transponder modes, transponder codes and the meaning of different terms such as “SQUAWK IDENT” and the like.
Be aware the indicator light illuminates whenever the unit is interrogated by a ground station. If you are in a radar environment and the light is not flashing periodically, you'd have to suspect something is amiss. Apart from that the controller will soon start complaining too!
Remember too that the altimeter subscale setting on the panel has no effect on the altitude readout being transmitted to the ground station. The transponder has its own internal altitude encoder which measures against a fixed datum of 1013 hPa.
A controller may ask you to check your altitude if your Mode C transmission differs from the altitude you are supposed to maintain. You probably have the wrong QNH set and the transponder says you are at 2200 ft but your altimeter says you are at 2500ft.

The only time you can depart without a forecast is if you expect to get a forecast within 30 minutes of your departure and the conditions would permit you to return to your departure point if you were unable to get one.

Cheers,

Rich

Hi Scanwinder,
I can go through a couple of questions with you at a time due to work and other commitments.

Voltmeter - Yes, your thinking is about right. The alternator charges at a higher voltage to overcome some of the resistence in the electrical system and battery. 24volt battery drives the starter motor at start up. And since the flow of electricity starts and ends at the battery, the alternator provides that extra few volts so the battery can accept the charge. If the voltmeter is showing equal to your batteries capacity (24volts in this case) your battery is not being charged. It then put extra load on the alternator/voltage regulator which can lead to other problems. Always refer to your P.O.H. for your aircraft's operating limits.

Toppled gryos - AH topples at about 100°- 110° of roll and about 60°-70° of pitch. The pendulus device attached beneath the AH gyro rotor will eventually right the instrument. Time may vary.

Flight rules questions - I could give you a fish and you would eat for a day. Teach you fish, and you will eat for a life time. Pilots have to be adaptable and be able to think laterally. This is where you having to start thinking about how to find things in the docs and AIP and whatever. During the ground questioning of a flight test If you don't know the answer, know where to find it.
If I need to find something flight rules and procedures wise, I start with word association and search the index.

Intermittent use of navigation lights - Must be something to do with getting someones attention or signalling. When and why do we need to do this? During an emergency or while being intercepted in an ADIZ maybe ! Start from there. Check the index and table of contents of the AIP book and the ERSA and you will narrow your search to Visual signals EMERG-25. Then ask yourself does this suit my needs, does infomation this answer the question(s).

Accident and incidents - Search the index of the AIP.

Pilots also need to be able to use all availbalbe resources. Didn't have it in my day and I wish I did! Let GOOGLE be your friend. But! Validate the infomation by checking a couple of different sources to cormfirm accuracy.
Use this to answer your VHF/HF range question.

Vfo - Have heard being descrbed as the same as Vfe but I'm not convinced. I wouldn't worry about it too much as I haven't seen it in a P.O.H. before and neither have a lot of others that I know.

Vortex encounter - Have encountered this formation flying a couple times and has usually ended up being roll control most effected. Longitudinal stability would be correct.

High wing vs Low wing effect of crosswind - Probably more to do with ground effect, Keel surface and weathercocking, and about the effectivness and correct use controls. Personally, I have found that the High wings are a little more uncorfortable on the ground due to the higher C of G from all that weight above your headand the fact that the effec tof the wind is more visible than the Low wings.

Forecast question - AIP

Transponder errors - Incorrect QNH setting can give ATC the wrong infomation just as it can give us the wrong altitude reading.

The Flight and Duty times for a PPL. I will help you with because, speaking as an ex-Chief Pilot/CFI, it can be a bit confusing and very easily misunderstood.
You will here PPLs say Flight and Duty don't effect them, however...........
CAO 48.0 paragrah 1.4 of APPLICATION AND RESPONSIBILITY states;
Notwithstanding anything contained in these Orders, a flight crew member shall not fly, and an operator shall notrequire that person to fly if either the flight crew member is suffering from, or, considering the circumstances of the particular flight to be undertaken, is likely to suffer from, fatigue or illness which may affect judgement or performance to the extent that safety may be impaired.

The keywords in here that I have made bold and underlined are ;
a flight crew member
This is refers to ANY flight crew member no matter the licence. Student pilot thru to ATPL. It's basically saying that eventhrough there are no time limitations set out for a PPL, it would be irresponsible for that PPL to fly while tired, sick or impaired in any way.

If you go flying big,long hours or 7 days a week or both and have an accident or incident, the first thing CASA will ask you is why you didn't follow CAO 48.0.

I hope all this helps with your questions.

Regards,

Mister W.

Beat me to it, Richard!!
Cheers,
Mister W

Thanks Richard and Mister W,

That has certainly helped clarify things! I actually sat the exam last Monday and got 91%, which i'm happy with. But none-the-less, it's still good to be sure about these questions. Some of them I had been wondering about for a while.

You're welcome and congratulations on your pass. 91% is a great result. Just one thing from the discussions above which needs to be clarified though:

Lateral Stability affects roll which acts about the longitudinal axis and affects motion in the lateral plane.
Longitudinal Stability affects pitch which acts about the lateral axis and affects motion in the longitudinal plane.
Directional Stability affects yaw which acts about the vertical (or normal) axis and affects motion in the horizontal plane.

The stability is labelled according to the plane of motion not the axis.

Cheers,

Rich

Bugger! I was thinking Lateral around the longitudinal but wrote Longitudinal. Oh well, have to stop writing post after working night shift.

Thanks! I should have known that anyway - I'm too use to thinking in x,y,z or i,j,k instead of lateral,longitudinal,normal, so sometimes I get the terms mixed up

Sort of unrelated but, I'm thinking of getting an early start on CPL theory - Is it actually worth getting the books now, or wait until Part 61 comes into effect and books are updated? As I only fly once a week, I more than likely won't be doing the CPL exam until at least September anyway? Perhaps I could skip on air law and HPL until closer to the time and do the other topics, since they seem to be the two areas that are most likely to have significant changes under Part 61?

Hi Scanwinder,

The alternative is to knock over air law now before September and avoid the uncertainty which will be caused by the regs shake-up. As you said, the others won't change much but after September, Air Law will be somewhat different to what it is now. You could argue "it's better the devil you know....". Obviously after September, you would still need to make sure you were familiar with the changes but at least that would then be on a more practical level compared to swatting for a theory exam.

Cheers,

Rich