A few, hopefully fresh, super-cub hints if you want them.

Been a while since I've seen this thread come up and I'm sure this is in here somewhere in some sort of form, but based on Rich's comment, I thought I'd share what an awesome instructor told me to use when I got back in the cockpit. Obviously it can be expanded, contracted, or have sub lists under one of the larger headings. This is just something that should work for just about any type of GA aircraft that doesn't have a published check list. Hard to find for our planes and these are easy acronyms to memorize and utilize.


CIFFTERS CLEAR CLEAR CLEAR
and
CGUMPS CLEAR CLEAR CLEAR


After preflight is complete and you get in. CIFFTERS

Controls-free, clear, and proper.
Instruments-set, check, beyond the six pack, engine, and radios too.
Flaps-set for take off under current conditions.
Fuel-check quantity, control valve setting, boost pump.
Trim-set for take off.
Engine- standard carb heat, long enough to not only see it work but to insure it doesn't currently have ice on a long warm up. mags left both right both.
Runup- also a good time to look closely at the engine instruments.
Seat Belts, Switches, Safety

CLEAR CLEAR CLEAR All three directions that you need to look.

Befor landing checklist CGUMPS

Carb heat-on
Gas-on fullest tank
Undercarriage-down and locked
Mixture-rich
Prop-forward
Seat belts switches and safety

CLEAR CLEAR CLEAR All three directions for non standard no electric arrivals.

I know flaps aren't mentioned but this is not a given, some don't have and sometimes you'll use different settings based on conditions.


Helps keep me safe and even when I get to the parts I don't have, UNDERCARRIAGE for instance, (well,,,,I have it, it's just not retractable) how much air is in the bush wheels and is it appropriate for this landing. Even when doing touch and goes and the fuel valve, mixture, and possibly the flaps haven't moved, I still touch them and give a second to think about what I'm doing, instead of just a tap as if to go through the motions.

Hope this helps and fly safe, just don't forget to have fun.

Being extra safe is great but gets boring. Find the edge and learn how to identify it and learn how to stay close to it but not violate it.

Glenn

Boredom: I guess that's why my preflight has gotten a little lacking. We've had the same mechanics, the same type of planes the same type of operation for 30 years+. It's just the culture my Dad, brother and I have adapted. It's not right, but as someone else has said on here if you don't find a single thing wrong for years then it reinforces the bad habit. But as far as a nemonic/acronym for remembering checklists it can be very useful in a new plane or when bouncing from plane to plane but I agree with ya for the most part cubdriver!

Sorry guys, sounded like the other guy might have been looking for something like that and I'm not too far out of those days. I've been very blessed to have some great mentors to help me learn to fly on the edge in certain regimes and gain from their experience at a pretty quick rate. I'm certainly not a great pilot and have lots to learn. After a 15 year layoff (with about 115 in the logbook when I stopped) I got checked out in this cub 2jan14. Since, I've been able to log about 170 in it. I may be a little boaring to some but on the edge is on the edge, and still raises the pulse. Doesn't matter if you're on the airplane's edge, or the edge of your ability.

After missing something big on a pre-flight I got to thinking how'd I do that and went back to what I learned a long time ago at a training session put on by the US Olympic sailing coaches that rather than relying on a pre-race inspections that you should do a thorough post-water inspection/reset of the boat at the end session that way you note settings and potential failures earlier so that your pre-water inspection serves as a conditions set up and second check. I've converted that to flying and always do a post-flight (except for oil and fuel sumps which need to the fluids to settle down to be effective) and trim-reset walk-around when I climb out and I really believe that I catch more stuff then rather than when I wanting to hurry because I'm about to go.

Kirby

That's great advice. We do a pre and post flight walk around at the airline also but I think you're spot on the clock isn't ticking on a post flight (typically). The only time I see it as a potential problem is going flying with students - many of those type A personalities would like to verify the plane is safe before he/she flies it.

Hello Folks,

I have been gone for a while. It is nice to be back among the flying. I just had too much cub stuff going on to actually think about cubs, if that makes any sense. We changed the school around a little and picked up some property on the Talkeetna Airport. We will see how that works out. Started a 135 business. Killed a moose or two. New house and actually gave some attention to the family. All that Alaskan stuff.
So, in coming back to the SC.O crowd, I would like to go down the awareness road a little. I hope this does't sound too much like a blog. I throw a few hints out on Facebook under the Artic's Air Junkie flag but it is not quite like the response I get on this site. I am always amazed at what I learn from other pilots. Like they say, never quit learning.
So, back to this awareness thing. I started looking at the students and the instructors in the last few years and found out I was kinda categorizing them. I wasn't nescessiarily doing a good vs. evil type of categorizing. I wasn't categorizing them into experience levels so much. What I was doing was determining a level of awareness that they had to them. Anyone that knows me would probably say that I am at least a fair representative of a Tailwheel Instructor. In that I mean, I had a base for determining if I can teach the craft to the average, normal person without the outcome seriously in doubt and I haven't considerably wrecked anything in a while. Thats good also. I also consider myself looking into the minds of these pilots and try better ways to train. So why, you might ask would I start really looking at a person for their level of awareness? Well, it occured to me in the last year of dealing with pilots, that I like hanging with guys that have loads of awareness. They are easy to teach, they get the small things. I am not exactlys sure what brings be to believe that they naturally have that level of thinking between the lines or can handle the stress, ambiguity and so on that comes from flying, especially this Super-cub/bush stuff. I do know that a pilot without a certain amount of awareness makes things a little harder. I can't keep myself from thinking that it comes from experience but alot is dedication to the craft and alot of self reflection from the prior days, "whatever." I know this sounds a little too much for the average cub guy but bear with me for a minute.
So, what does this mean? We base our flying on an average of experience of the crowd we are surrounded by. Some guys step out and up. You recognize those guys because of their commitment and their skill. The have the awareness to do so without having a sub-par outcome. I like those guys because they bring the whole crowd with them. They fly good, they look good, chances are their wives are pretty sexy...
Then we have the other guys whom keep up the faith as it were but may not recognize that their skill may be adequate at best. An example is best through story.
Pilot comes in and wants a flight review. This year, I tell him we may push things a little further. I ask him we are going to do steep turns. I immediately get, your nuts (which I kinda know), your unsafe (ya), your gonna kill someone with that thinking. I am not sure how steep he thought I was going for but I wanted to do some 45 degree circles like your instructor tought you. Now, keep in mind that this fella wrote a book on bush flying. Wrote a book! Some day, I want to write one but this is all I have so there ya go.
So, we take off. We fly around. Looks good. I am not scared yet. Then, I figure that if he doesn't want to do a scary steep turn, maybe I should figure out some trickery to make him do it. Like my wife would tell you, I have a lot of tricks to get what I want.
So, I ask him to fly towards Sutton. We fly along and I say, "hey, is that a truck stuck in the gravel bar?" The next thing that came would make a F-16 pilot envious. I started to grab things as we went past a 60 degree turn and started to question his intentions by the time we hit around 80. I didn't realize cubs could stay aloft in a knife edge. I have never seen a steep turn performed inverted. We were so steep a cliff would blush. Then he rolled out and said," yep, Ford." I was like , what the serious !$%Q was that? Of course, I said it to myself because I didn't want to see what his steep turn was like. I know he didn't like those.
You see, awareness. Question it sometimes. It may not quite be like you think it is. I try and do it at least every month. It is an awareness assesment. I have cought myself doing some real stupid junk.

Ahh, it's good to be back.
Artic

Hi.

I noticed ol Dale C. posts. I sure miss that guy.

I walked outside and considered putting the skiis on the N-5. It is taking me a while to get my nerve up. It is cold out there. You can freeze your lungs huffing and puffing while changing skiis on the plane. Breath through your nose. I don't think I'll chance it and just work in the hanger for the next three months.

This topic came up again and we had a little discussion on it. I figured it is always worth sharing since a number of pilots have had emergency landing in the sticks because of it. Ill make it quick since I am thinking about skiis again.

Winter Density Altitude. That which makes Cubs run strong. Grrrrr. There are more unkown accidents from this factor than people think. Ever hear that story where someone is doing touch and go's and the engine died for some reason? Ever heard about the guy that had a long descent and the engine decided to run rough promting an emergency landing? They are out there. Ever heard of internal cooling, shock cooling, lead scavenging and so on? The dead of the winter is when these factors start rearing their ugly heads. I engineered on round engines for waaayy to long when I was in my 20-30's. These old guys would smack me around alot because they were always afraid of inducing some sort of damage to those big ol motors from cooling it down too fast. We never slammed the mixture ahead. If you did, crack. We never ran an engine up with the cowl flaps closed. We never pulled the cowl flaps open fast. If you did? Crack. Fuel is cold and so you can cool the engine down internally and externally. You do both at the same time? Crack. Then we always looked at the Pressure altitudes adjusted for Density. In Alaska, if it is around "0" degerees at sea leverl I just round it off to 1 mile below sea level. Here is the gig. If you are in airplanes and you are descending into whatever you call an airport, think. Think about how thick that air is. It is very thick if you didn't have a good answer to that statement.

Here are some pointers to not cracking cylinders and keeping those engines running. When you are doing touch and go's, pattern work and so on. Use lots of carb heat. We all have been tought at one time that abeam your touch down point pull the carb heat on, right? If i see a "advanced" guy doing that at 0 degrees I might ask that he start pulling that carb heat on when he is outside of the pattern. This gives him enough time to preheat the carb before he brings the power back. As soon as the power comes back to that 1800 rpm mark, not much heat is making it to the carb. Also, because of the increased performance your more apt to bring even more power out of the engine. Say, 1200rpm in light cubs/planes if you are doing a tight pattern. This means less heat to that carb. Don't get iced up. Use heat. If you are concerned about power for a go around, shut if off right before you touch down. I find that acceptable. The lycomings and the Continetals are both good for ice. Don't let anyone tell you different. The C-182's, Maules, 180's, big and small have all gotten icing on the ground. Some of the little Continentals won't run unless you are using the Carb heat. My 11, the 150, and a bazillion other airplanes I have instucted in get it at some point when it is super cold. At 50 below? Good luck. Just use the heat. Also, watch those bracket air cleaners. They frost up like crazy. They also pack with snow.

Mixtures. I see guys leaning this way and that. No sweat, I am not making judgments. But when it is cold out please refrain from jamming the mixture forward. Screw the vernier in and move the standard cable hande in slooowww. It will help. There are some guys that have lost power because they had chilled the engines, were running 100LL and jammed the mixtures ahead. The ends of the plugs were soooo cold that they instantly lead fouled the plugs. The scavenging didn't take place since there was no heat to make it happen. That will take you out of the air. Descend with power, drag it in. Keep the heat on. So, far it has been working with all of our guys. Last, be careful if you are turbo'd when you it gets super cold and the pressure altitude is running close to the top of your altimeters. You can gain alot of "snap" out of your engine when it is cold. Don't bust a head. Open the wastegates a little. Some bigger engine operators like the idea of reduced power take offs. We did a pile of it flying the round engine stuff. It made a difference. The small engine guys didn't do alot of it but. You can get desity altitudes of -7000 feet below sea level no problem in Alaska.

Just a few thoughts to ponder.
Artic

cubdriver2 said:

Being extra safe is great but gets boring. Find the edge and learn how to identify it and learn how to stay close to it but not violate it.

Glenn

Click to expand...

Problem is, you don't know what the limits are until you have exceeded them

cruiser said:

Problem is, you don't know what the limits are until you have exceeded them

Click to expand...

And you don't learn anything staying in the crib

Glenn

Someone getting lazy on the preflight?

If it were my bride I might just hide a nice present attached to some key element of the plane: Concert tickets, vacation tickets, earrings, and see if she found them. A student? How about a gift certificate for 1 hour of ground instruction?

Amazing what unexpected gifts will encourage in the way of looking at details.

Just spent the better part of an hour on and off reading this whole thread. Very informative, thanks for all the information guys. I just purchased my first cub last Saturday and now I'm building hours to satisfy my insurance before I can take it out solo. Anything in particular I should ask my instructor to demonstrate or help me practice?

Watch Happy Feet and learn to be instinctive and quick with your feet.

Herc said:

Just spent the better part of an hour on and off reading this whole thread. Very informative, thanks for all the information guys. I just purchased my first cub last Saturday and now I'm building hours to satisfy my insurance before I can take it out solo. Anything in particular I should ask my instructor to demonstrate or help me practice?

Click to expand...

There are so many things to mention. One is no steep turns low to the ground. Another one is avoid tight uncoordinated turns looking at an object low to the ground. Those are a couple that I feel are pretty important.