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2020 LTS Keflavik news post draft: Difference between revisions
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→Searching Wizard Island trip: add some explanations of terms for readers of the homepage. Quick pass - feel free to add.
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(→Searching Wizard Island trip: add some explanations of terms for readers of the homepage. Quick pass - feel free to add.) |
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I'm glad I survived this.... but read yourself: | I'm glad I survived this.... but read yourself: | ||
I just tried the [[Suggested Flights#Searching%20Wizard%20Island|Searching Wizard Island trip]] from the suggested flights page. I used live | I just tried the [[Suggested Flights#Searching%20Wizard%20Island|Searching Wizard Island trip]] from the suggested flights page. I used live METAR with the Advanced Weather engine. [''See past posts on [https://www.flightgear.org/tours/advanced-weather-v1-4-in-flightgear-2-6/ Advanced Weather] (2012), [https://www.flightgear.org/tours/the-art-of-cloud-and-weather-rendering/ rendering of weather] (2013), and [https://www.flightgear.org/tours/the-magic-of-light-and-haze/ atmospheric scattering] (2014) for some details of FlightGear's terrain driven weather simulation and rendering of visual cues''] The weather was a little turbulent at times with lots of clouds forming at about 8000 ft, but otherwise fine and only slow winds. A little chilly maybe, but more to that soon. | ||
The entire trip took about 50 minutes. After the pre-flight inspection, I started with my Cessna 182S and all was nice. The woods are really impressive and that's really a nice (but remote) place. | The entire trip took about 50 minutes. After the pre-flight inspection, I started with my Cessna 182S and all was nice. The woods are really impressive and that's really a nice (but remote) place. | ||
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Whats going on? Why are my wings so white??? | Whats going on? Why are my wings so white??? | ||
[[File:Fgfs-20210212203048-wiz2.jpg|thumb|Trying to escape]] | [[File:Fgfs-20210212203048-wiz2.jpg|thumb|Trying to escape]] | ||
Suddenly I had a really serious problem! Obviously the moisture above the water did create icing on my plane and I slowly lost airspeed. The Pitot tube was obviously frozen, and I supposed also that the static ports where frozen | Suddenly I had a really serious problem! Obviously the moisture above the water did create icing on my plane and I slowly lost airspeed. The Pitot tube was obviously frozen, and I supposed also that the static ports where frozen. | ||
Then another problem: A routine check of the gauges revealed that my Cylinder Head Temperature (CHT) is over limits due to the air intake clogged with ice. I promptly reduced engine power and added lots of mixture in order to try to cool the cylinders down. That worked without engine failure... Phew! | [''The Pitot tube is used to determine the speed of the aircraft relative to the (moving) air - the airspeed. The tube opening faces the oncoming air, and the pressure caused the air ramming in to the tube is measured. The faster the air flow the higher the pressure. The denser the air, the higher the air pressure. Imagine being dipped in a stream of water - the faster the water flow the more force (and higher pressure - more force per unit area depending on how large you are ). If the water was replaced by something denser like lava or lead, then the pressure will increase.''] | ||
[''The static port(s) are used in trying to determine altitude, and how fast an aircraft is ascending or descending (vertical speed). Static ports are openings that are connected to tubes that 'sample' the air pressure. Unlike the Pitot tube, static ports' openings don't face the oncoming air head-on to avoid pressure from ramming - although static ports on different sides of aircraft are used to try to reduce the effect of ramming air when there are winds blowing across the aircraft, or the aircraft is experiencing side-slip.'' ''Since pressure is being, the values for altitude and vertical speed vary depending on weather - the pressure at the altitude of the ground beneath a craft can be different on different days. The way the pressure changes with altitude can also change - including as a result of water in the atmosphere changing state.''] | |||
So while trying to maintain altitude and regain speed I readjusted the motor to max power, which helped me to at least not drop into the water; and I pulled the alt-static port knob to regain static pressure, and some time after that the Airspeed Indicator (ASI), Altimeter and Vertical-Speed Indicator (VSI) got back to life. | |||
As I somewhat re-established control of the flight, I realized that I will probably not get enough lift to cross the ridges surrounding the crater lake. Weather data suggested that, at the lake, there should be some wind coming from 330, so I figured that I may try to use ridge lift at the southwest side. Luckily that worked and I was able to gain about 300 ft per minute, and I figured that I will get enough altitude to cross the lower ridges in the northeast. | |||
Then another problem: A routine check of the gauges revealed that my Cylinder Head Temperature (CHT) is over limits due to the air intake clogged with ice. I promptly reduced engine power and added lots of mixture [''more fuel into the fuel-air mixture than is normally burned''] in order to try to cool the cylinders down. That worked without engine failure... Phew! | |||
Finally crossing the ridge made me sigh inside and I hoped that the remainder of the route will bring me into warmer air - the vague trip description in the wiki said the target airport is about 3300 ft, so I had plenty of room to go down. Consequently I tried to stay near the ground - but not too low! And I constantly monitored the CHT gauge which was always near 500°F (260°C) for the rest of the trip - that's at the red mark. | Finally crossing the ridge made me sigh inside and I hoped that the remainder of the route will bring me into warmer air - the vague trip description in the wiki said the target airport is about 3300 ft, so I had plenty of room to go down. Consequently I tried to stay near the ground - but not too low! And I constantly monitored the CHT gauge which was always near 500°F (260°C) for the rest of the trip - that's at the red mark. | ||