NEHC Newsletter Quiz

Fall 2014 It’s that time of year again. Cold weather operations challenge pilots and helicopters. Rotor downwash re-circulates snow which reduces visibility and often creates whiteout conditions. Blowing snow can create problems when taking off and landing, and snow covered ground often creates illusions that make it difficult to control the aircraft. Test your knowledge about cold weather operations, snow flying techniques and flying in flat light conditions. Please consider that there may be more than one correct answer to some of the questions, in which case, please identify all correct answers. Have fun!

1. Technologies for forecasting icing are undergoing rapid development; however, PIREPs remain the major source of information for icing location and severity.

A. True. B. False.

2. To estimate the intensity of snow you know that:

A. Light, means that the visibility is more than ½ statute mile. B. Moderate, means that the visibility is more than ¼ statute mile. C. Heavy, means that visibility is less than ¼ statue mile. D. All of the above are correct.

3. Regarding the optical illusion known as flat light, which of the following

statements describing flying in flat light conditions is false?

A. Always leave yourself an out. B. Don't fly until you only have one visual reference left. C. Try not to lose sight of your reference point at any time. Plan your

approach so that your reference is always on your side when flying. Never turn away from your reference point.

D. As long as you have a good visual reference it’s always safe to continue.

4. While planning a takeoff when the ground is covered by fresh or light snow,

A. apply enough power to get the snow blowing while keeping enough weight on the aircraft to prevent it from moving. Leave the power on as long as necessary to get good visual references. This could take up to a minute to accomplish.

B. rapidly pull collective and make a maximum power, vertical climb, as quickly as possible to fly up through the blowing snow.

C. check the departure path for any obstructions that may be obscured by blowing snow. Remember that power lines are difficult to see in the best conditions and nearly impossible to recognize through blowing snow.

D. don’t use the altitude over airspeed takeoff technique. This technique increases the possibility that the helicopter will become enveloped in whiteout conditions.

5. While contemplating a landing in a snow covered field:

A. As with takeoffs, landing in snow seldom creates a hazardous situation. B. .The best technique to land in a snow covered field is to fly a shallow

approach angle, staying ahead of the snow cloud, and make a running landing.

C. If the surface appears to be deep hard-packed snow or ice, lower the collective slowly on landing and watch for cracking in the surface. Should one skid break through the surface, a dynamic rollover is likely to follow, so be prepared to return to a hover if the surface is unstable.

D. Assuming that the helicopter is operating at a weight that allows it to hover out of ground effect, consider landing to a high hover. Re-circulating snow will form beneath the helicopter, obscuring the landing site. This re-circulating snow will also rise; be sure to stay above the rising snow and wait until solid references appear beneath the aircraft. This could take up to a minute. Once solid references have been obtained, a slow vertical descent to a touchdown is all that is required.

6. Which of the following is a good strategy to deal with cold weather hazards?

A. All frost, snow and ice should be removed from the main rotor system

before starting the helicopter. B. As long as the only contaminant on the main rotor system is frost, go

ahead and start the helicopter. Warm air from engine exhaust will re-circulate through the rotor system and will melt the frost during the engine run up.

C. If the helicopter is parked in an area of blowing snow, special attention should be given to openings in the aircraft where snow can enter, freeze solid, and obstruct operations. These openings should be free of snow and ice before flight.

D. Fire extinguishers should receive special winter attention. Dry power extinguishers cannot be used in cold weather.

7. Flat light is an optical illusion, also known as "sector or partial white out. Which

of the following statements correctly describes flat light conditions?

A. It is more severe than "white out" condition. B. Flat light conditions are usually accompanied by overcast skies inhibiting

any good visual clues. Such conditions only occur in snow covered areas. C. Flat light can completely obscure features of the terrain, creating an

inability to distinguish distances and closure rates.

D. Even with good judgment, proper training and planning, it is nearly impossible to safely operate an aircraft in flat light conditions.

8. Which of the following statements, pertaining to operating the helicopter on the

ground in cold weather, is false?

A. Ensure that the skids or wheels are not frozen to the ground prior to lift off to prevent dynamic rollover.

B. When performing the free-wheeling unit check on ice, neutralize the pedals to prevent the helicopter from spinning.

C. Beware of loading and unloading while running in deep snow as the rotor clearance is reduced by the height of the snow above the skids.

D. If the surface appears to be deep hard-packed snow or ice, lower the collective slowly on landing and watchfor cracking in the surface. Should one skid breakthrough the surface, a dynamic rollover is likely tofollow, so be prepared to return to a hover if thesurface is unstable.

9. Which of the following definitions is incorrect?

A. Supercooled Drizzle Drops (SCDD) is synonymous with freezing drizzle

aloft. B. Freezing Rain (FZRA)is precipitation at ground level or aloft in the form

of liquid water drops which have diameters greater than 0.5 mm. Freezing rain is rain that exists at air temperatures less than 0°C (supercooled), remains in liquid form, and freezes upon contact with objects on the ground or in the air.

C. Forecast Icing Conditions is atmospheric conditions in which the formation of ice is observed or detected in flight.

D. Freezing Precipitation is freezing rain or freezing drizzle falling through or outside of visible cloud.

10. Regarding flight operations in icing conditions, you know that:

A. Ice pellets by themselves are not a hazard to the airframe with respect to

icing. However, a ground observation of ice pellets could indicate supercooled large drops (SLD) aloft, so avoid such areas.

B. Because freezing drizzle often forms by the collision-coalescence process, the pilot should assume that a warm layer of air exists above the aircraft.

C. You should always treat an encounter with snow as an icing encounter. D. When you fly a normal category rotorcraft (certified under FAR Part 27)

for personal transportation, there is no specific regulation that prohibits flight in forecast icing conditions.

Regarding question #10, please consider the following information contained in Advisory Circular, AC 91-74A Pilot Guide: Flight In Icing Conditions, Appendix 2.

General operating and flight rules for GA aircraft are found in part 91, but not all rules within part 91 are applicable to all GA aircraft. Section 91.501 states that the rules in subpart F apply only to large and turbojet-powered multiengine airplanes that are not covered by parts 121, 125, 129, 135, and 137. Section 91.527, Operating in icing conditions, falls within subpart F and thus is not applicable to all GA aircraft. d. Aircraft Not Certificated for Flight in Icing Conditions. (1) Aircraft certificated since the mid-1970s that are not certificated for flight in icingconditions will have a limitation in the AFM or POH and possibly a placard on the aircraftstating that flight into “known icing conditions” is prohibited. “Known icing conditions,” asdefined in the AIM, are conditions in which ice is observed or detected in flight, by your aircraft or another aircraft, or an airport. Such limitations are binding under § 91.9, Civil aircraft flight manual, marking, and placard requirements, and this regulation takes precedence over §§ 91.527 and 135.227. However, if a pilot of such an airplane were to takeoff and fly in area in which icing is forecast (e.g., AIRMET Zulu), it is expected the pilot will through preflight planning and in-flight execution: (a) First attempt to avoid areas of “potential icing conditions”, which are areas of visible moisture such as clouds at temperatures below freezing; (b) If that is not practical, attempt to avoid areas of forecast icing by all tools available (e.g., AIRMETs, SIGMETs, CIP and FIP); and (c) If icing is encountered, declare an emergency and exit the conditions immediately. NOTE: Failure to follow the section above may result in enforcement action under § 91.103, Preflight action, or § 91.13, Careless or reckless operation, depending on the circumstances and the actions a reasonable pilot will take. Pilot should remember, these airplanes were not tested for inadvertent encounters and since most icing conditions consist of small drops and low LWC, should not assume their airplane can tolerate all icing conditions after one successful encounter.