--by Rick Domingo, FAA Flight Standards Service Executive Director
Seventeenth century English poet Alexander Pope is usually credited with the famous remark that “a little knowledge is a dangerous thing.” Obviously, Mr. Pope lived long before the age of aviation. Nevertheless, his observation is applicable to aviation both in its general interpretation and its literal form.
Here’s what I mean.
How (Not) to Describe an Elephant
One way to paraphrase the first and more common interpretation is to say that we don’t know what we don’t know. All too often, though, we humans have a tendency to inflate the importance and scope of even the tiniest scrap of information. That idea best comes to life in the famous story of the six blind men and the elephant: each describes the animal based on the one part they happened to touch. The crew resource management discussion in the previous issue of this magazine translates the concept into aviation terms, emphasizing the importance to combining information from all available sources to get an accurate understanding of the situation.
More is Better
A second way to interpret Pope’s remark is the more literal one — that is to say that not knowing enough about something can be dangerous. I think you will quickly agree that when it comes to doing any job in aviation — pilot, mechanic, controller, dispatcher, or any other you can name — the danger of insufficient knowledge is obvious. So, in this “know-your-aircraft” themed issue of FAA Safety Briefing, the team will take a closer look at each of the major parts of our marvelous flying machines.
Clearly, of course, it would take a lot more than a single magazine issue to do justice to any given part of any given aircraft make and model. Our purpose is to cover some of the basics, which could be new to those just getting started or a useful reminder to those who have been in aviation for a while. For everyone, though, the team hopes that the material presented here will whet your appetite for more knowledge about the design, the construction, and the performance of your particular make and model.
Here’s a preview.
We’ll start with a look at the importance of knowing all you can master about avionics and automation. As the article observes, the advent of “glass” in place of the once ubiquitous “six-pack” makes some aspects of flying easier — but only if you first invest the time it takes to truly master the system(s) you have. We go on to a look at powerplants, with discussion of both legacy and developing engine types. On the subject of airframes, there’s still a lot of metal out there but the team also takes a look at composites, and things you should know about each. You will also find concise reviews of handling/inspection tips for the hardworking tailfeathers, the all-important wings, and the sometimes-overlooked elements of your landing gear.
With winter now upon us, flying days might be less frequent. But we hope you will be inspired to use this non-flying season to dig in and deepen your knowledge of these topics.
Energy Management
In the spirit of tying it all together — an aircraft is always more than the sum of its individual parts — we are pleased to offer the first of perhaps several articles on the vital topic of energy management. If you have looked at the Airman Certification Standards (ACS) recently, you will note several references to this concept as one of the elements a pilot should be able to know, consider, and do to qualify for a certificate or rating. With contributions from the aviation training community, we are already in the process of developing more guidance material on this topic for inclusion in a future issue of our H-series handbooks. One of those contributors has generously offered to start sharing those concepts though this publication, so don’t miss it.
