Today I learned...

"TheRealBicycleBuck" (therealbicyclebuck)
11/18/2018 at 14:51 • Filed to: None

Today I learned a bit more about how FlightAware tracks planes. When we left my home airport, we left the pattern immediately and never received a squawk code. For those who don’t know what I’m talking about, planes flying in controlled airspace are required to have a transponder. When you contact the tower, they tell you what code to enter and they start tracking your movements. If you are leaving the area on a visual flight rules (VFR) flight , you set the squawk to 1200 and are good to go.

We normally fly further out to the northwest, but the weather wasn’t really cooperating. We headed north instead and practiced steep turns, stalls, emergency descents, and preparing for an emergency landing. After a few practice rounds, we decided to go over to Conroe, and fly t he pattern. When we were about 10 miles out, we called into the tower and they assigned us a squawk code . That’s when they started tracking us.

When we arrived, my instructor asked me to turn to base a lot sooner than I would normally turn. This gave us a chance to practice forward slips. This isn’t the same thing as crabbing into the wind. In that situation, the wind is blowing across the runway and the pilot is responding. In a slip, the pilot is using opposite controls to cause the plane to fly sideways. The purpose is to lose altitude. Think of it as drifting the airplane.

After a few rounds of the pattern, my instructor decided it was time for a couple of dead-stick landings. As soon as we passed the runway threshold, he reduced the power to idle and I had to land. I have experience with hang-gliders, so I nailed it the first try. Well, I could have landed a little further down the runway, but my instructor was pretty happy with my landing .

That was when we decided it was time to head back. We planned everything just right and landed about 15 minutes before the front rolled through and it started raining. While it was nice to beat the weather, I really wish it had held off another hour. If it had, my instructor would have had me solo.

So close. Ah well, next time.

DISCUSSION (6)

WilliamsSW > TheRealBicycleBuck
11/18/2018 at 15:01

Not sure I follow the plot, but I presume that flight aware won’t track you while you’re squawking 1200?

TheRealBicycleBuck > WilliamsSW
11/18/2018 at 15:26

I think that’s what’s going on. When we called for clearance to take off, our transponder was set to 1200. We were given clearance to take off and head north. FlightAware doesn’t pick us up until we called to Conroe and were given a specific squawk. The other day when we were working the pattern around David Wayne Hooks , I was given a squawk after we were airborne and FlightAware tracked our entire flight.

WilliamsSW > TheRealBicycleBuck
11/18/2018 at 16:32

Yeah, I’ve always had the impression that Flightaware only picked up IFR flights, actually. I figured they couldn’t track you squawking 1200 (there are hundreds of airplanes with that squawk at any moment, so they couldn’t connect the dots).

I’m actually surprised they can track you when the tower gives you a VFR squawk - I didn’t think anyone other than the tower would have your code.

So close to that solo - good luck, and give us a full write up with your thoughts when it happens! I still remember mine very vividly - and it was 19 years ago!!!

TheRealBicycleBuck > WilliamsSW
11/18/2018 at 16:55

It does make you wonder how they’re pulling the data. I’m guessing that they grab it when the tower connects the squawk to the radar. They have to be networked somehow. I figured somebody knows, so I did some googling and found this: https://www.fly.faa.gov/ASDI/asdi.html It appears that the government put together a system for doing just that!

FlightRadar uses ADSB to track aircraft. I didn’t realize that ADSB uses continuously operating transmitters and the data it sends isn’t encrypted. FlightRadar has been building their own network of receivers so they can get coverage outside the normal radar coverage. Fascinating stuff!

Ash78, voting early and often > TheRealBicycleBuck
11/20/2018 at 15:30

Isn’t a forward slip where you basically make the airplane as “dirty” as possible so it just drops out of the sky (without gaining too much speed)?

I seem to remember this from soaring in the 90s, but it’s all vague now. I still love sailplanes, though...maybe one day again soon. They’re so peaceful, everything is the purest stick & rudder, no torque or p-factor, no fuel issues, but you pretty much get one chance to nail the landing. Everything is an exaggeration of powered flight, but thankfully slower and with more time to thing (landing speed: 30-40mph; cruise 75-90 if you have good updrafts )

Backup plan? Look for a nearby field (no, seriously).

I got towards the end of the training before my family had to move for work. I was commanding towed takeoffs to 3,000' AGL in snow squalls like a 13-year-old boss. The most terrifying part of training for me was aborted takeoffs where you go about a mile past the runway, then pull the cord and do a violent 180 and land downwind. In a glider that’s pretty terrifying if the wind is more than about 5mph. It changes everything.

TheRealBicycleBuck > Ash78, voting early and often
11/20/2018 at 16:40

You are correct about the forward slip. You can do it to either side, just point the nose one direction with the rudder and keep the wings level with opposite ailerons. Watch as your descent rate skyrockets and you fall out of the sky. Keep an eye on your airspeed so you don’t stall.

I learned to fly with R/C aircraft. My first bird was a glider, so I got used to one-shot landings. My next step was getting my hang-gliding certificate. My one emergency landing was an aborted tow. It was as you said, drop the line and turn back to the field. I only had about 200 feet to work with, so my final was pretty short. I have to say I really like having the option to power up and go around.

I’m looking forward to reading your future posts about going back to your roots and getting your pilot’s certificate.