Sitting in the Cockpit
does it feel like to bump along the grass "runway" in an ultralight
aircraft, picking up speed -- and then lifting off, wind flapping your
sleeves and pantlegs? The helmet feels heavy on your neck, and the headphones
muffle any sounds. Your arm strength is tested as you hold the bar and
move the wing to guide the plane in the headwinds. You are high over the
treetops with nothing surrounding you but air, and nothing holding you
but a lap belt. Are you ready to think like a pilot? Here we go!
about all these instruments? Study the image below to learn
what they do. Then think like a pilot to answer the questions under the image.
This! Journaling Questions
1. Read the altimeter. How many feet
high are you AGL (above ground level)?
Which button would you push if you wanted to broadcast this
sound to the birds?
3. Find the Airspeed Indicator. How many miles per hour
are you traveling through the air?
4. What instrument will you use (it's missing from the photo) to find
your ground speed? What makes ground speed differ from air speed?
(Listen to Joe and then see this
5. What is the name of the dial or instrument that tells how fast you
are traveling up or down in feet per minute? Which can climb faster--the
ultralight or a Whooping crane? How many minutes could it take a Whooping
crane to climb to 4000 feet?
6. When talking to the airport, what letters would you use to identify
yourself over the radio?
7. At how many RPMs is the engine turning right now?
Journey North is pleased to feature this educational
adventure made possible by the Whooping
Crane Eastern Partnership (WCEP).