Top 5 USEFUL Rules of Thumb for ALL Pilots!
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- Опубликовано: 5 июн 2024
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My Top 5 Most USEFUL Rules of Thumb for pilots. Skip the hard math and use these rules of thumb to make your flying more fun!
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Portions of ATC communication and the flight have been edited. This video is not instructional in any way. I am not a CFI. I am sharing my experience and thoughts about this flight and this should be taken as entertainment only. By sharing mistakes and accomplishments alike, hopefully the aviation community will benefit.
this video covers the crosswind rule of 6ths, top of descent planning, descent rate planning, the 50/70 takeoff abort point rule, and weight reduced maneuvering speed. Here are some links for a deeper dive:
pilotworkshop.com/tips/quick-...
www.boldmethod.com/learn-to-f...
www.boldmethod.com/learn-to-f...
www.principalair.ca/article-va...
This video is awesome! I learned a thing or two. Certainly not a math nerd, but appreciate simple stuff like this.
For crosswind rule of thumb what I teach my students is what I call the clock method. So each degree off the I think of as a minute.
15° = 15 mins or 25% of the clock
30°= 30 mins or 50% of the clock
45°= 45 mins or 75% of the clock.
60° = 60 mins or 100% of the clock.
So essentially 30° off of the runway 50% of the wind is XWind. 45° off of the runway 75% of the wind is XWind. Then anything more that 60° off you might as well call 100% XWind.
Example:
Wind 360° @ 10
Runway 33
30° of is a 5kt XWind and
I like this one, thanks
Nice!
Woah woah woah, "simple math" and the first one you have me reducing and solving fractions!? Cmonnnnn
haha. you can do it!
Great video. Here’s one I came up with: CFI asks me to divert. I figure out distance. Then I get time after determine ground speed. Great. “How much fuel?” Uhhhhh. Ok easy math: GPH/10 = 6 minutes. So, if I have a 9 minute distance to my diversion... and I’m burning 8.5gph... .85 every six minutes. Then I’m burning about 1.3 gallons to get to my diversion. Easy peasy in the cockpit.
Minus 2 add 2 for finding reciprocal headings is useful. For example, 360 minus 2 add 2 becomes 180, 090 becomes 270 etc.
I add 200 then take 20 away or vice versa (taking 200 away and adding 20) : 050 = 250 - 20 = 230 / 320 = 120 + 20 = 140
@@noneofyourbusiness5074
How about add 180 or subtract 180
@@relentless2002 at the end of the day thats what matters but remember that we gotta decide which runway as quick as possible and adding whole numbers is much easier/faster
When coming out of cruise, reduce manifold pressure 1" for every 100 fpm descent rate you wish to achieve.
Oooh I like this one a lot!!
I’m trying this next time, thank you from Australia 🇦🇺
And if your plane doesn't have a manifold pressure gauge, you an reduce your rpm 1 inch for each 100 fpm rate of descent. 4 inches = 400 fpm. PS: it works in reverse too... each 100 rpm increase = 100 fpm rate of climb. The key to both adjusting MP or RPM is to have the plane trimmed for straight and level before reducing or increasing power THEN don't touch the trim. Pitch controls airspeed, so if you're trimmed for 110 kts and you add or reduce power (MP or RPM) you will still fly at your trimmed airspeed of 110 kts.
Amazingly helpful tips - thanks so much for sharing.
Great information to pass on to all of us. Thank you very much for sharing. I got a few things out of this video, and will be one I watch again before my written and checkride.
TOD really depends on your ground speed. The way I do it, is once I know how far I need to descend, that tells me the time it takes @ whatever descent rate, convert to fraction of an hour, mutliply by ground speed = distance to reach TOD. ie 9000 feet, down to 2000 feet, leaves 7000 feet to descend @ 500 ft/m. That will take (14 minutes / 60 ) x ground speed (say 125) = 29 nm.
Exact formula I use...
These videos are just amazing! Keep up the great work!
This video is truly awesome. So well made and some really useful information. Thanks!
Thanks for the tips
your explanations are very understanding
For the crosswind i like to take the difference between the wind direction and runway heading and use that at a % of the total wind.
Using your example: Wind 060
Runway 090
Total wind 9
The difference is 30, so the cross wind is 30% of 9kts, which is a little less than 3!
Thats a Nice one, I'm gonna start using it, thanks a lot!
Like the new intro! Love math as well ... took my knowledge test this summer and it was really interesting to study.
Super helpful!!!! Thank you.
Really entertaining and a good refresher...... Greetings from Germany
So good I watched it twice
You put out really great content. Thanks for your videos. Going over to Patreon now to show some support.
Niice five rules of thumb . Thanks alot
Another awesome video
Another very useful and entertaining video. Thanks Eric for all you do!
Thanks for the supportive comment Dennis!
Great info.
Lost one of our own at your home airport this week, condolences to the pilots friends and family
Dude this is so awesome. I think that people underestimate how hard it can be to do calculations while staying ahead of the airplane - these rules of thumb help a ton! I learned something today - WOOOOOOO!
Glad it was helpful!
Brilliant one, Eric! Be safe! Cheers
Glad you liked it! Thank you.
Your video need more views! That excellent content 🙂 I learned
Thanks! I just published it so it should ramp up...but feel free to share!
Great video as usual and great tips. One thing you might like to reconsider is decent planning. Heavy metal use the 3 degree decent plan because their cabins are pressurised and the 3 degree works out for an efficient glide. In a light aircraft, following a 3 degree glide path will obviously mean a differing rate of decent depending on ground speed. The key here though is passenger comfort. Ideally a good aiming point is around 500 ft per min for ear pressure change limits, especially if one is a little blocked up or struggles with pressure changes, can’t valsalva etc. For seasoned flyers, higher rate of decent is fine and your 3 degrees will be fine in your machine but to aim for 500 ft/min ground speed with determine your decent point. EG. 180kts = 3 miles/min so altitude changes in thousands x3 then x 2 (because it’s 500’/min not 1000) plus and slowdown distance you need. Just another way of doing things.
Definitely some major take aways in this video
Excellent video. everything from the editing, the methodology, brilliant!
I am using "your" 50/70 takeoff rule whenever I do short field takeoffs. It's an easy sanity check.
Glad it was useful for you!
very good information
Thanks
Awesome tips. Going to have to add these to my Checklist cheat sheet.
I use the gross weight speed adjustment on final in my Mooney. Helps with the glide on flare if you’re under the 71 kts at Gross weight by 2 kts per 100 lbs.
Yeah adjusting my Vref speed for weight changed my landing game in my PA28 when I had it. Every landing was like butter after that.
@@SoCalFlyingMonkey I wouldn’t go THAT far in my F! 😂 But, at least I’m not having to worry about a go around when I haven’t touched down after 1700’ of runway on my 3000’ home strip.
the takeoff decision short came in pretty handy for me back in Dec 2011. I was attempting takeoff on a high density alt 2950 foot runway with obstacles on both sides. As a precaution I chose a V1 point along the runway, that if I didn't build speed at, I wud abort. Standard short runway takeoff procedure applied on the 1979 continental Cessna hawk xp 2, (full static power flaps 10, lean mixture, prop manifold in, breaks in)...didnt work, twice. This was Dec 2011.
Taxied back to the parking, switched off, took a walk in open 10c air and thought about why the aircraft wasn't speeding. A lot of things cud have been contributing, but here we were at a high density altitude airport, 5500 foot, and I am thinking the flaps that worked per the POH at lower elev airports, are acting like speed brakes here. So I taxied back to the end of the runway, hit brakes, applied power, leaned mixture no flaps and off I went. This time the aircraft easily went past the VR at the decision point.
This procedure was vital. The calcs helped me stop within 3 feet of the runway end (normal breaking) and if I hadn't been careful, I wud have surely hit trees pushing, hoping to catch more speed down the runway.
Fellow Cherokee 6er here. Thanks for doing the math for me!
Very cool
Excellent rules of thumb. Hi I’m Van Nuys Based flying Challenger 300’s I’d really love to collab. Your channel is amazing and inspired me. Could we share editing tips?
Thanks Brian - I appreciate it. I have a bunch of camera and editing tips specific for aviation videos on my Patreon site at patreon.com/socalflyingmonkey, along with a Discord chat server.
Been going through your videos, great plane! I would love to see a video where you breakdown the costs of owning and operating this plane.
Good idea thanks.
I know it's airplane specific but I'd LOVE a video on your fuel management strategy in the 6
My rule of thumb that is most definitely NOT scientific by any means, but my CFI taught me during my primary training - if you have an engine failure, in most standard aircraft like the C150 I was training in, if you hold your arm up about 2 feet in front of your face and do the thumbs up signal - put the tip of your thumb on the horizon, and wherever your first thumb knuckle sits is approximately where you will make ground contact at perfect glide.
I have tested it a few times, and it is by no means scientific, but in a pinch, it gets you a visual in the ballpark. Works at any altitude.
never heard that one before- I will have to test it out! Seems very useful (hopefully won't need it)!
@@SoCalFlyingMonkey I hope you never do as well! - Great video today by the way. I did not know the crosswind quick math. Will definitely put that in the arsenal!
Another one: A friend of mine showed me, is when they changed from F to C for ATIS, a lot of older planes have Farenheit temps in their takeoff and landing calculations. Easy conversion to get close: Cx2+22=F It is always within about 5 of the actual temp.
I think c*2 + 30 is a better calc
Great info! Will make me look like a badass on my checkride next week.
Right on!
Your aquaplaning speed is calculated as 9 x Square root of the tire pressure (V = 9 x √P) Worked like a charm on 727s
Great Rules - have been following you and your family flights here and on Piper Forum. From this conservative 40+ year experienced pilot I will suggest an alternate rule to the 70-50 rule on take off. As I live in the northwest most of the year (so Cal in winters), I am in and out of many smaller fields. On a short field the 70-50 rule does not provide me with the safety that I want. Think about a 2100 ft runway. The 70-50 rule will put you off the end of the runway or into the fence if you decide to abort most likely. My rule: If not off the ground at the 50% point, then I abort. This will work for ALL FIELDS of course. No math, no tough decision to make and room to abort and stop and save plane and or passengers. Most pilots think that they can make a decision , abort and stop far faster than is realistic.
For anyone that has a hard time with Descent Rate planning with hard numbers. Go GSx10 and then half it. makes hard numbers easy
The 200 & 20 rule for finding reciprocal headings is a good one. If your heading is 162, add 200 (362), and subtract twenty (342). And if the heading you want to find the reciprocal of is to the west (180-360) you subtract 200 first then add 20.
That’s a good one. Makes it easier than calculations with 180.
I am also being a private pilot . I have about twenty more hours to go. I need lots of help yet. I enjoy your videos of flying with your family
I love the video. Is there any way for you to put it into a small cheat sheet for us?!
Good video
About xwings I use Decrab, Is not , Crab angle ,or Sideslip, Is combinatión of the las 2, but you land with LG level, I used from Pitts to Airbus 320, also on DC-3, C-46, and DC-6 in all been Captain.
And for a Glide 3°, descend , you must loose 300' x 1 NM, and for that Is G/Speed , d ivide by 2 example 140/2=70, so you add a 0 that Is 700/minute, of descend, well shortly I Will have Manual where I talk about that, and more.
"Happy Landings"
Thanks for the video, I had to slow down the speed of the video to digest all the information coming,
how did i sound in slow motion? LOL
@@SoCalFlyingMonkeyJust normal speaking pace, I also have to thank youtube to have this feature, thanks god 🤓
In south Texas flying a Legend Cub if not off by second stripe we abort and see what is wrong.
Hey! As someone who has been to Whiteman a few times, I would like to know what the C.A.P. crash will mean for the airport. Councilwoman Monica Rodriguez has already stated that she thinks the airport should be turned in to houses. As someone who is probably way more knowledgeable in the matter, will there be any changes at KWHP?
Ayyyy I am on there! Third list of patrons. Wohoo!
Sufi thanks SO much for supporting this project on Patreon.
@@SoCalFlyingMonkey Of course!! I love the videos that you are doing. the cinematography look on the videos is what keeps me watching them (IK I am weird like that). As a private pilot (going for instrument) on east coast, I appreciate these types of GA videos. Maybe one day, I will start if I get time between work, college and flight school LOL.
There's a great book out there that I always encouraged my students to make recommended reading titled "mental math for pilots". Best money I ever spent.
Vertical speed required 3 degree glideslope:
Ground speed x 5
140 x 5 = 700
Or some pilots may find this easier
(Ground speed x 10) / 2
140 x10 = 1400 then divide by 2 = 700
If you have a calculator onboard the real number is closer to 5.3
The tangent of 3 degrees for one nautical mile (6076.11549 feet) is 318.435719 feet.
Ground speed divided by 60 to get feet per minute is a rate of 5.307261
The example of 140 ground speed is really 743 fpm.
If you have a calculator onboard you can use 318 value (vertical feet per nautical mile at 3 degree slope) for a more accurate Top Of Decent planning..
5000 decent divided by 318 would be 15.7 nautical miles. [The x3 rule uses a value of 333 feet which why it is you end up late]
For a 2.5 slope the value is 265 (265.283942).
5000 decent divided by 265 would be 18.9 nautical miles. [The x4 rule uses a value of 250 feet which why it is you end up early]
I'm feeling like you and Poppins are the "Chip and Joanna Gaines" of flying. 🛩️
Hi! What about a video about simple principles of video storytelling for anyone doing anything?
Question for you. I watch all your videos and am getting my own plane soon. Can you go over the use and operation of your SL30. I haven’t found any good videos and how to use it.
The SL30 has so many awesome features but I only really use it as a basic comm and occasionally check the nav signal on it. I am not that well versed in the more involved functions. However, I have read the manual when I first got it and it does go over all those fancy features pretty well. I think I should brush up on it actually.
So good. Siths. Died.
I know-same. Lol
#dadjokes! At least I am funny to one other person. LOL!
Rule 1 is nice because you can pretty much interpret any 60 degree or more crosswind as direct. For Rule 4, I know a lot of people use that and it’s good. But I’d encourage people to incorporate landing ground roll into their distance. If you’ve reached half the runway and have to abort, running off the end of the runway will only be a less painful crash. My runway minimum is 1.5x my takeoff roll (which is takeoff roll plus the delay of realizing the plane is not performing), then add expected ground roll. On a hot summer day in a Cherokee 140 at gross weight, that usually tops out at about 2000 feet.
Good point!!!
VHF (line-of-sight to ground) reception range in nautical miles is approx. 12*sqrt(FL), where sqrt(FL) is the square-root of your height above ground in hundreds of feet.
E.g. even the first 100ft will give you 12nm reception range. At 900ft expect 36nm. At 2500ft expect 60nm. At 6400ft 96nm. At 10000ft 120nm. At 14400ft we expect 144nm reception range (that is a fun one; I know, I am a kid at heart).
I find a certain elegance to this rule of thumb.
Yeah that’s a good one. I like all the math stuff too. :)
Awesome vid! Also I love your editing! May I know what is the name of the font that you use?
Which one?
@@SoCalFlyingMonkey hello! the cute font one you use as your normal text :D
I think it is called Bellaboo
Are your mounts on some sort of gimbal? I notice the camera does not move with the aircraft but rather seems almost like you have a steadicam type mount. It’s really impressive and unique
They are not- the GoPro 7 as automatic stabilization and it has a slight gimbal like feel. Some shots are with the Insta360 which has amazing stabilization since it is a 360 capture. Most of the shots are just GoPro7. I have an ongoing video series on my Patreon site (patreon.com/socalflyingmonkey) about camera mounts and settings if you want a deep dive/tutorial.
Re vertical speed for 3 degree angle of descent, it s easier to divise GS by 2 than multiplying GS by 5…or isn’t?
For the first rule, wouldn’t a direct (90 degree crosswind) be multiplied by 1.5? If the wind is from 090 and the runway is heading 360 and winds are 12 knots.
90/10 = 9
9/6 = 1.5
1.5 * 12 = 18
By this rule, the crosswind component would be 18 knots, but in reality, it is 12. This seems quite inaccurate. Is it just accurate for when the wind is less than 50ish degrees? Not to criticize, but this seems like a bad rule. Or is it intentionally increasing it for a margin of safety?
for angles greater than 60 the crosswind is the full value of the wind strength. It's pretty much all crosswind at that point. I should have specified that! Will update the notes.
what's the idea behind the weight adjusted v_a? i don't understand how it's lower for a lighter airplane. it seems to me that this rule only applies to weight in the wings (fuel).
as the fuselage gets heavier the stress on the wing increases, so wouldn't you have to assume a lower v_a (both for gust loads and control surface deflection) as you add passengers and luggage?
www.aopa.org/news-and-media/all-news/2020/may/flight-training-magazine/ol-maneuvering-speed
Who did your paint? I am in Florida and just had a panel upgrade from Jesse Saint and am looking for good paint shop. Any suggestions would be appreciated.
It was East Coast but they did not do a good job on the fiberglass work on the cowl and tip tanks, despite charging me a LOT extra so I don;t recommend them.
Considering I have a version of dyslexia that is related to math this gives me hope to one day maybe get a PPL.
Hey, why not?
Im not good at math, but hey! You can do it if you belive it, i know it sound cliche but it's true!
Cheers from Argentina!
“Carson Speed” = Best economy Cruise speed. Vg X 1.316 = KIAS Best economy cruise speed
The 2 rule for carb heat: You need carb heat if you are travelling with
3 degree glide slope can be done much easier…. Half your ground speed & ad a zero. 140 KTS GS / 2 = 70 plus 0 = 700 feet a minute.
How do you compute a crosswind component for a crosswind greater than 60 degrees off the runway heading?
its just considered all crosswind until 60 degrees from a straight tailwind again....
Thank you! I must have missed that point. The other factor in my crosswind planning is my personal minimum of 10 knots crosswind, and 15 for the airplane. Either my winds will be below that, or I will find another airport for landing. Another thing I learned from Air Force flying is to simply say, "Tower, say Winds." You don't have to say your call sign or thank them afterwards They do it with alacrity, and everyone on Approach or in the pattern benefits. Thanks again.
So what’s the crosswind component for : RWY 32 260@20kts ? Based on your Rule it’s 320-260=60, 6/6 of 20 is 20. But in reality it’s 17kts NOT 20 ? Did I miss something?
it's just a rule of thumb not a super accurate calculation....
One calculation I've used quite a bit in 17 years of private flying is a fuel burn calculation. As a general rule, internal combustion gasoline engines burn approximately 1/2 pound of gasoline per horsepower per hour. Now, before the armchair commentators chime in, this is a "general rule". Some engines burn .4 lbs, some as much as .6 lbs, but about 1/2 pound is a good ballpark number. This number is a factor of the amount of BTUs in a gallon of gasoline.
So here's an example: 200hp engine running at 75% power is producing 150hp. At that power setting, you should burn 75 pounds (1/2 pound per horsepower) of fuel per hour. Fuel is 6 pounds per gallon, so you should burn about 12.5 gallons per hour. That may sound steep for a 200hp engine, but I would rather calculate for that burn and give myself the extra margin.
If my Cessna 150 is burning 1/2lb per hp an hour, I'm in trouble. :)
@@flatbedtaco I knew it wouldn't be long before someone commented that this calculation was too high. :-D
Again, this is only a generalization. It's a calculation that Spartan School of Aeronautics taught their A&Ps.
A 100hp Cessna 150 burning 1/2 lb of fuel per hp/hour, running at 60% power, should burn 5 gallons an hour. What do you typically burn?
@@faithlifeworshipcenter460 I was mathing wrong. I went by 100hp flat. % makes it much closer!
@@flatbedtaco Yep, it's just a ballpark calculation, but it definitely gets you in the neighborhood. I only have about 350 hours, but I have time in over 20 types of aircraft. This calculation has helped me out a lot over the years when flying different types of aircraft with different power.
Noice
Math
Me :uffff 🥶🥶
I'm a bit confused about the reduction in maneuvering speed. I though maneuvering speed is the maximum speed at which full deflection of any rudder, aileron or elevator will not cause damage to the airframe.
Why does the maneuvering speed decrease when the aircraft is lighter? The forces necessary should diminish when there's less mass to be moved around, so I'd imagine the maneuvering speed either stays the same or even increases?! (I suspect it would stay the same since the aircraft will generate x amount of force with y amount of deflection, so the speed should stay the same, just the turns get tighter.)
Stall speed is something completely different, that should obviously decrease with a lighter plane, but I don't think you were talking about that since your numbers were way higher (and you plane definitely doesn't look like an airliner ;-))
It has to do with angle of attack. This article and embedded video explain it pretty well, and also offer an alternate calculation method. Enjoy! www.aopa.org/news-and-media/all-news/2020/may/flight-training-magazine/ol-maneuvering-speed#:~:text=For%20every%202%2Dpercent%20reduction,maneuvering%20speed%20by%2010%20percent.
My understanding is you hit on the reason there, stall speed. Max maneuvering speed is the top speed where the plane will stall instead of exceeding airframe safe limits.
He should have actually talked about "the rule of thumb"....which is using your thumb as a measuring instrument on a map if you forgot your distance ruler.
For the first rule of thumb....according what you stated, if you have a 6 knot wind, with a 70% difference between runway and wind direction.... knock off the 0 and you get 7. 7/6 multiplied by 6(wind direction) is 7. How can you have a 7 knot crosswind if the wind is only going 6knotts.
for angles 60 degrees and above the crosswind component is the total value of the wind.
@@SoCalFlyingMonkey oh thanks. Love the content, keep it up
Me listening to this thinking “oh wow how interesting “, when I land 30-50 kts direct xwind
Nobody lands with a 30 kt direct crosswind.
@@jjohnston94 if your stall speed is low enough, just treat it as a very wide, very short runway...
Not one comment about the puke?! Does the Cherokee have barf bags on board?
We do!
My rule of thumb:
If the weather forecast is more than 3 lines reconsider the destination 😂
haha
Jesus flying is a lot more complicated then i thought
3:21 flying and doors not closed. That's twice now I've seen in flight issues with doors not being closed. That can only mean either you are not doing your pre-takeoff checklist, or whoever is in the front right seat is not checking.
I've replaced the eyebolts and clevis pins and added/taken away washers and adjusted the strike plate. The door is properly closed. The pins are engaged in the strike plate and the latch is closed. It's an 11,000 hour airframe. You can see the smallest amount of light from the inside if you get your head in the right place. Just barely. It's 100% safe and probably not affecting the performance of the plane- maybe 1/8 of a knot I dont know...That's as good as that door gets.
Nerd