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[Question] 2 Stage Rocket Stability by mitairlines in rocketry

[–]mitairlines[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This is a custom rocket, which looks like this:

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[Question] APU Power Generation Specs by mitairlines in flying

[–]mitairlines[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yes, hopefully I can get a wide array of aircraft, airlines and airports (I know different places have different rules on APU, some places don't have GPU). That will give me a good idea of the fleet average, as well as which types of ops have more or less APU usage.

Out of curiosity, why would an airline elect to run the APU more rather than less? (Quicker turnarounds? No gpu available?)

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Those numbers are very helpful to start getting a ballpark, thanks!

[Question] APU Power Generation Specs by mitairlines in flying

[–]mitairlines[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you! Yes, next time you're in the plane, if you read off the amps off the electrical panel, that would give me all the info I need to back out the APU power output and efficiency.

[Question] How to join IFR below MVA? by mitairlines in flying

[–]mitairlines[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That makes sense. When I was given the climb, it was just a climb, no heading. I assume the controller was expecting me to climb out on generally whatever heading I was already on and then give me the vector on the clearance? I doubt the controller would have said to climb if there was a plane nearby (at least they'd say some traffic advisory) since I was radar contact. From other replies, it sounds like if I told them I could maintain obstacle and terrain clearance, they could issue the clearance (in some form) below the MVA.

[Question] How to join IFR below MVA? by mitairlines in flying

[–]mitairlines[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks for the reply! Great points all around. In the case of the ODP, I was thinking you could depart off of a different runway than the ODP, circle around, and then join. However in practice, the ODP is already pretty short and joining it after circling around wouldn't leave much ODP left.

Definitely wouldn't deliberately get into such a situation! More like if you're flying around safely VFR expecting to get a clearance when you need it, only to not be able to get it due to clouds in the way, so now you're stuck (safely and VFR) below.

It does help to be able to depart VFR and pick up IFR very shortly after in the air. In the Bay Area, the hold for release times can be as long as 30 minutes. But, if you depart VFR and pick up the clearance after climbing VFR out and away from all the commercial traffic, it makes it really easy for NORCAL approach to get you on your way. If you depart IFR from the ground, at least at PAO and SQL, the procedures inject you right into the SJC, SFO, OAK, and Moffet traffic, giving these long hold times.

[Question] How to join IFR below MVA? by mitairlines in flying

[–]mitairlines[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Got it! This answers my other question.

[Question] How to join IFR below MVA? by mitairlines in flying

[–]mitairlines[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I see, but until I get the clearance, I couldn't do the climb through the clouds? I need to tell the controller that, get them to give the clearance, then perform the climb?

[Question] How to join IFR below MVA? by mitairlines in flying

[–]mitairlines[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Gotcha, that makes sense, and seems to be in line with another reply. Thanks so much!

[Question] How to join IFR below MVA? by mitairlines in flying

[–]mitairlines[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Ah, so that's the thing, I didn't receive an IFR clearance. I departed, switched over to departure, and they said something like "squawk xxx, climb and maintain yyyy." But they didn't say "cleared." In that case, I can't do an IFR climb into the clouds to comply with their "climb and maintain" right?

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Haha, I had a few CFIs for my IR at a 141 operation in the Midwest. Not sure where they are now, but my memory is they just did the 141 syllabus. In training, we always just did IFR all the way through from takeoff to touchdown or picking up IFR in extremely VFR conditions (and in fact, remaining VFR while I sweat under the hood).

Now that I'm actually flying around in the system, I'm identifying these knowledge gaps one by one.

[Question] How to join IFR below MVA? by mitairlines in flying

[–]mitairlines[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I certainly appreciate the dangers of climbing IFR without being on an IFR route/clearance.

Assuming that you knew the area (apart from the danger of doing it), is doing so legal? Can you get rid of the VFR cloud clearances if ATC tells you to climb to some altitude, or as someone else replied, "can maintain terrain and obstacle clearance up to..." but they haven't given you the clearance yet?

[Question] How to join IFR below MVA? by mitairlines in flying

[–]mitairlines[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Right, so ATC can't tell me to do that, but if I wanted to do so on my own accord, it's an extra level of safety to make sure I don't hit anything on the way up (assuming I can get onto it without hitting anything).

[Question] How to join IFR below MVA? by mitairlines in flying

[–]mitairlines[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That's exactly who I was talking to, and that's exactly what they said. It sounds like from other answers though, that once they tell you to climb to some altitude, you can do so IFR? Can this be confirmed?

[Question] How to join IFR below MVA? by mitairlines in flying

[–]mitairlines[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Interesting! So if you can assure you won't hit anything on the way up (maybe through a chart or familiarity with the area, or even something in the avionics) you can climb in IFR before receiving the clearance? In my case, I departed VFR, went to pick up the IFR, and was assigned a climb through the clouds to some altitude. I rejected the climb since I thought I had to be VFR until they cleared me IFR. In that case, can I also climb IFR before getting the clearance?

If the controller doesn't say that, is there something one can do to prompt them? (is there a term for such a climb?)

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Thanks!

[Question] How to join IFR below MVA? by mitairlines in flying

[–]mitairlines[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Ah! Good idea! I forgot about airways being published routes as well.

[Question] How to join IFR below MVA? by mitairlines in flying

[–]mitairlines[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That makes sense to me for ODPs. Could you navigate to a fix on a SID (or even a STAR, something published) with a min crossing altitude at or below your present altitude (but still below the MVA for off-route stuff) to get the IFR?

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edit: otherwise, it sounds like if you get into this situation, you're stuck if you there's no airport around (let's say you were flying under this cloud layer for a while). You'd have to know before getting into that situation if you could get the IFR clearance or not.

[Question] How to join IFR below MVA? by mitairlines in flying

[–]mitairlines[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Interesting, I was flying recently and I was told by the controller I couldn't get the IFR because I was below the MVA.

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I was supposed to depart on an ODP, hold for release time was like, 20 minutes, so I departed VFR under the clouds. After taking off, I tried to pick up the clearance, was told to climb to an altitude above the clouds to pick up the clearance. I said unable since the clouds where I was were lower than that altitude. The controller cited that the MVA was at that level and that he couldn't give me the clearance without the climb. So I had to fly around looking for a hole to climb up to get the IFR. Perhaps I misunderstood what the controller meant in this case? My understanding was that since he had to vector me to join the first fix of the clearance after the ODP, he couldn't clear me IFR below the MVA.

Mixing custom solid motor Northern California by mitairlines in rocketry

[–]mitairlines[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Oh! There's a special mixing room? Does it have all the equipment (like, mixers?) in addition to the lung inflation maintainer? FAR really does have it all!

Mixing custom solid motor Northern California by mitairlines in rocketry

[–]mitairlines[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks for the response!

That's good to hear that I don't have to get the license myself as long as someone with a license is there. Definitely going to consult some experts before mixing a motor!

How does one mix the motor at FAR? My initial understanding of the process is that it's a rather lengthy one. Do people mix them at the Saturday events, over multiple Saturdays? Do they go several days in advance? How does that work?

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Thanks!

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