In Flight Emergencies whilst Navigating Across Country

If you have planned your route  correctly and obtained weather reports for your route, you should be able to take off and fly to your destination without problem . However from time to time the unexpected can happen and this lecture is about how to deal with it.

If you are a Private Pilot with no ratings you must remain at all times in sight of the surface you must not enter cloud. If you see clouds with a lowering  cloud base then you must immediately divert to another airfield or turn back do not enter them . Advise Air Traffic Control otherwise when you do not arrive at your destination they will scramble search and rescue helicopters to look for you. It maybe you have to to detour around an active weather front obviously if this is the case make sure you know which direction it is moving and allow plenty of distance again notify ATC.

 Weather reports in the air can be obtained from Flight Information Services or VOLMET for the region. Thunderstorms can be quite fierce around noon to late afternoon.

Icing 

Engine

If you fly in icing conditions , this can be vary dangerous as ice can form in the engine  and cause an engine failure. Ice can form in any temperature from below 10 degrees Centigrade especially if the air is humid. Early indication of this is the engine running rough apply carburetor heating at regular intervals. if your aircraft has this device fitted.

Airframe

It is essential if  ice is forming  on the wings  to turn round and go back to warmer temperature. ice can cause loss of lift and an accident .  Act early not when the aircraft is covered in ice. If freezing rain is sticking to the aircraft you may have to climb into the warmer air above  as it would have started as rain in the higher warm air until it hit the freezing level. Remember you must not enter clouds. This happens normally when a warm front catches up with a cold air sector. The warm front cloud rises and cools and then it rains. The freezing level may be below it The rain fall through the freezing level onto the aircraft below it.

If the pitot head freezes this will cause some of your gauges to misread this could also be dangerous. Sleet and Snow cause this  turn back do not push on through it you do not know what you are going into. Clouds have a nasty habit of closing up and tho you think you may see the surface many people have leant the hard way.

Visibility

If visibility reduces then you will have to consider flying slower with flap down at 70 knots to help you pick out landmarks. If the weather continues to get worse you will have no option but to make a forced landing in a field and wait for better weather or turn back. You will have to find a field fly over it looking for obstructions etc then fly an imaginary circuit and land in it. You will need to land with full flap and the nose wheel high. Remember which way the wind is blowing and land into wind. Turn all your electrics off and fuel on before touchdown and unlatch the door  Tell ATC using the Mayday Call.

If you are flying at 70 knots remember you will have to recalculate your ETA as it will be longer than 110 again tell ATC.

Off track

It is advisable to put drift lines on your map from your departure point of 5 and 10 degrees then if you are flying and become off course you can identify how much you are off course and turn back on course. 

So if after 15 minutes you found yourself off course by ten degrees to the right then you would alter course left 20 degrees and fly for fifteen minutes this will bring you back on course. The normal reasons for this is the forecast wind is not the same as real wind.  OR you have moved into an area where the wind has changed direction. Also not flying an accurate heading is a cause. Flying one degree off course after 60 miles is normally one mile off course as a rule of thumb.

Lost

If you become lost then you need to tell Air Traffic Control who will try and help you. If you are too low  radar may not be able to pick you up. In some areas  Two Air Traffic Controllers can home in on your voice and by triangulation pinpoint your position. If you have a transponder then set this to squawk 7700 the emergency code this will light up someone's radar hopefully and help will be coming your way. If you are in touch with ATC remain on the frequency, if not then change your radio to the international distress frequency of 121.500.

State PAN PAN PAN PAN PAN PAN student pilot lost request assistance. Hopefully someone will help you. If not then you will have to consider a forced landing. Or retrace your steps by flying 180 degrees back to your last waypoint the same  amount of time adjusted for wind.

Hence it is important to have contingency fuel and the times over waypoint written down in the log as you cross them.

I cannot emphasis the need for proper flight planning and weather reporting enough but having heard this you hopefully will be much safer as you are much wiser.

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