fueling 172

The unofficial FBO rulebook – what your CFI didn’t teach you

My first job in aviation was working at a Fixed Base Operator (FBO): driving the fuel truck, tying down airplanes and cleaning windshields. I enjoyed it immensely, since the job paid me to hang around airplanes all day. I got really good at naming airplane types from a distance, but I also learned a lot about the way different pilots approach aviation – some good, some bad.

Fueling Cessna 172I try to keep that experience in mind when I visit different FBOs, this time as a pilot. There are some small things we can do as pilots that have a major impact on both safety and camaraderie. You might call this the unofficial FBO rulebook – tips we all need to know as pilots, and they don’t appear in the FAR/AIM book or on the FAA written test.

  • Always stay with your airplane when it’s fueled. You’ve just landed and you’re desperate to visit the bathroom and get a cold drink. But not so fast – if you ordered fuel, it’s a good idea to stay with the airplane. Most FBO employees are very conscientious, but everyone makes mistakes. Check to make sure it’s the Avgas truck and not the Jet A truck (if you ordered Avgas). Also make sure the right amount gets added to your airplane. Trying to fix either mistake after it has happened is a real pain, and if you don’t catch it the result could be fatal.
  • Don’t be afraid to tip friendly line guys. Pilots’ approaches toward tipping tend to vary greatly, and in most cases a tip is not required for typical line service. But if someone really goes out of his way to help (staying late to fuel, loading lots of bags in on a hot ramp, etc.), don’t be afraid to thank them with a few dollars. It goes a long way.
  • Return the courtesy car with more gas than when you found it. The whole concept of a courtesy car – a vehicle pilots can take for free to get lunch – seems too good to be true. But the system works very well, assuming we all obey the classic advice to leave things in better shape than you found it. Take a few minutes to clean up your mess, and add a few gallons to the gas tank. This “pass it on” attitude is part of what makes the aviation community special.
  • Sign the guestbook if it’s out. Some small airports like to leave a guestbook out for transient pilots to fill out when they arrive. It may sound a little old school, but I’ve found it to be a wonderful tradition. Take a moment and fill in your name and N-number. Also stop to read where the last few visitors came from. This is a great way to strike up a conversation with the local airport bums.
  • Don’t sit with the engine running in front of the FBO. Be a good airport neighbor – after you start the engine and have your headset on, pull away from the FBO door to complete your checklist. It’s both unsafe and a little rude to sit in front of the door for 15 minutes while you run down every last item.
  • Leave your parking brake off. If you’re parking overnight, be sure to leave the parking brake off in your airplane. You never know when the FBO might need to move airplanes around, and if your brakes are on you will be a major inconvenience. Worse still, if severe weather moves through, they won’t be able to move your airplane into a hangar. So leave the brakes off – and bring a pair of chocks if you want some insurance.
  • Update fuel prices online or in your favorite app. Many of us check fuel prices religiously before a trip, but most of those fuel prices are only as good as the pilots who submit them. If you buy fuel, take 30 seconds and update the price on Airnav.com or ForeFlight or whatever you use for pre-flight planning. Some of these sites and apps also allow you to leave reviews of the FBO’s facilities and service. These are very helpful too.
  • Help another pilot if you notice something wrong. If you’re walking to your rental car at 11pm on a Sunday night and you notice another airplane is untied and unchocked, take a moment and secure the airplane. Sure, 2% of pilots will complain that you touched their airplane, but 98% will appreciate the gesture and you may save an airplane from damage. If nothing else, it prevents that airplane from becoming a danger to other airplanes. If you don’t feel comfortable doing it yourself, talk to the FBO and point out the issue.

Now it’s your turn – what rules should pilots obey at FBOs? Add a comment below.

Sporty’s Hot New Products for April 1st

Editor’s Note: Happy April Fools’ Day.


The World’s Largest Pilot Shop is celebrating April 1st with the release of these amazing new products. Developed by Sporty’s team of expert pilots, each product was hand-picked for this special day.

 

stealth ornament

Sporty’s 2015 Christmas Ornament is…..

the stealth fighter.  That’s right!  Not since the P-51 has an airplane changed the way our military approaches air-to-air combat. This ornament portrays the stealth’s most important feature: invisible to radar.

But wait, THERE’S MORE! Act now and preorder the stealth fighter 2015 ornament and we’ll give the stealth bomber ornament, a $29.99 value, absolutely free. That’s right, two stealth ornaments – the fighter and the bomber – for only $29.99! Just pay separate processing and shipping.

 

tournniket

The Tourniquet Kneeboard

You’re flying along and your foot falls off…WHAT DO YOU DO? Not to worry because you have this innovative new product: the tourniquet kneeboard! It’s a kneeboard and a tourniquet in one simple design! Why carry two separate devices when this amazing product can serve both purposes? Simply attach the kneeboard to your leg. If you’re suffering massive blood loss, spin the kneeboard in a clockwise direction to restrict the flow of blood through your leg.

 

tie down

Indestructible Tie Down Kit

Are you tired of wimpy tie downs at rural airports?  Say NO to frayed ropes and permanent restraints with this indestructible tie down kit.  Each kit includes a bucket, one bag of concrete mix, and a 10’ chain. They are highly portable and easily fit into the baggage compartment of a Boeing 747. Water sold separately.

 

faa got it right

The Time the FAA Got It Right

This best-selling book is hot off the press. After decades of thorough research, author and CFI Purdy Crazee compiled a comprehensive review of every time the FAA got it right. “I spent many sleepless nights sifting though years of data to make this book 100% accurate,” says Mr. Crazee. This is a limited edition printing so order now before they are gone. The paperback edition is approximately two pages in length including the cover and back cover.

 

wand

Flight Instructor Reinforcement Wand

Did you ever have that student who could not perform steep turns perfectly on the first attempt? Correct this unacceptable behavior with the Flight Instructor Reinforce Wand. No more whining, no more complaining! One jolt from this wand will have them thinking twice before drifting off altitude or airspeed. Fine print: batteries sold separately. Human use prohibited.

 

By now you’ve probably realized that these are not real products. Happy April Fool’s Day! Care to add to our list of outrageous items?

The two bucket theory

buckets-twoMany “seasoned” pilots reason a new flight student arrives for their first lesson with two buckets.  One holds the student’s flying experience, which is empty.  The other holds the student’s flying luck, hopefully it’s full.  From that point forward the student’s goal is to fill his bucket of experience before the luck bucket is empty because it is known that good decisions come from experience and applying the lessons learned from those previous experiences to the current situation.  Unfortunately, too often experience is obtained as a result of bad decisions that are survived by making a withdrawal from the luck bucket.

While these notions reflect a fair amount of pragmatism, in my opinion they diminish both the role of the pilot and his instructor in addition to any additional mentors encountered in his flying career.  It implies that any of us pilots who are alive today are only alive because of luck.  Like most endeavors, pilots that depend on luck to keep themselves, their airplanes and their passengers in the air will someday find they have run out of airspeed, altitude, skill – and luck – simultaneously.

airplane movieNow I admit to having relied on my luck bucket more than once in my flying (as well as every other) career.  After one flight from Lafayette, IN to Rochester, MN I put 36 gallons of fuel in a 38 gallon tank.  On another occasion the Skyhawk I was flying at 7,000 feet developed over an inch of ice on the leading edges of everything in about a minute.  On a flight to Kitty Hawk I flew into a developing thunderstorm where we climbed over 2,000 feet per minute from 7,000 feet to nearly 15,000 while the throttle was at idle and the only piloting skill I was using was keeping the wings level and the airspeed around 100 knots maneuvering speed.  Sure glad I wasn’t in a downdraft!  Each of these “experiences” was gained by bad go/no-go decisions and I was lucky enough to deliver myself, my airplane and my passengers safely to our airport of intended landing.

Once subscribed to the “Two Bucket Hypothesis” then you must also believe that your luck bucket only has a finite amount of luck in it.  If true, can we have a long rewarding flying experience while reserving our luck for riskier enterprises – like finding our spouse?  I believe we can by making sure ourselves, our airplane and the atmosphere is ready for the flight.

ourselvesOurselves – are we ready to make the planned flight?  Are we healthy, prepared and certified for the trip?  A cramped, stuffy cockpit on a hot ramp or in rough air is no place to be nursing a cold, stomach virus, headache or that dreadful combination of a hangover.  Have we acquired the necessary skills to complete the flight and are you ready to use them?  Practicing seldom used skills is a great way to maintain proficiency and provides an excuse to go flying (like we need an excuse).  On every flight I like to try my hand at some skill like spot landing, simulating an engine out, no flap landings or navigating a leg by pilotage or dead reckoning.  It can be too easy to take off, turn on George (old pilot’s slang for auto-pilot) and sit back letting the equipment do the work – until one day it doesn’t.  It pays to be ready.

cirrusAirplane – is our airplane ready for the flight?  You have probably checked to make sure the airworthiness certificate and registration is there along with the POH and weight and balance.  Those documents are important and a lack thereof will keep you on the ground but there is nothing about pieces of paper that will keep you flying once you are aloft. A thorough physical preflight is a must.  Occasionally get out the POH.  Make sure your preflight inspection hasn’t somehow been abbreviated over time.  If you find a squawk, make sure it is resolved.

Putting air in tires covered by wheel fairings can be a pain, but landing with a flat – at a commercial airport – requiring shutting down the runway – and a tow – and a large service charge – plus being the subject of an NTSB report saying something like “incident occurred as a result of pilot preforming an inadequate preflight inspection” is a much bigger pain.  Using checklists for each phase of flight is a good idea and the preflight inspection is a good place to begin that practice.

atmosphereAtmosphere – is it conducive to completing the flight?  Is it VFR, not only at your destination but along the route?  There is no such thing as an “all weather” airplane (OK those P-3s the hurricane hunters use are close).

Even the airlines will throw in the towel cancelling flights because of weather.  And those airplanes have professional crews, an abundance of power, high wing loading, anti-ice, and tactical weather systems on board.   Be prepared to make a no-go decision and stick with it.  Do not allow others (or yourself) to talk you into a flight that proposes unacceptable risks due to the weather.  Check winds aloft.  How will the winds effect groundspeed?  Do you have enough gas?  Will your trip require an extra stop?  If so, have you checked out the conditions at that intermediate airport?  Will its FBO be open?  Do they have self-serve fuel?  Is it working?

Years ago we had a plethora of flight service stations with knowledgeable technicians to answer these questions for us.  Now, although a version of flight service still exists, apps such as Fore Flight puts much of this info literally at our fingertips as we swipe our iPads.  Teamed with a GPS receiver your groundspeed and time to destination is constantly computed leaving little reason to ever come up short on fuel.

On your next flight make sure yourself, your airplane and the weather is conducive to safely completing it so won’t waste any luck on something over which you have control.  You want to have plenty of luck left some day when you might need it to keep the airplane flying in a dire situation – or win the lottery.

New ATP Certification Requirements: A Pilot’s Guide

Airline pilots are required to possess an ATP.

Part of the sweeping regulatory changes in the aftermath of the tragic accident near Buffalo, New York, involving a Colgan Air Bombardier Q400, are requirements for the new Airline Transport Pilot (ATP) certification.  The FAA released the final rule for pilot certification and qualification requirements for air carrier operations, commonly referred to as the “1,500-hour rule,” in July 2013.  First and foremost, to be eligible to serve as a crew member in a Part 121 Air Carrier (airline) operation, every pilot must now possess an ATP.  While the experience and certification requirement for the ATP is vastly different on paper from the Commercial certificate and 250 hours previously required to be a first officer, it does NOT represent nearly as dramatic a change in practice.

Pilot hiring has always been market driven, and historically, pilots have been required to possess minimum experience at least close to the ATP requirements to be competitive for pilot positions.  While exceptions exist for every rule, pilots generally have been expected to possess anywhere from 1,000 to 1,500 hours of total time and 50 to 100 hours of multiengine time to be marketable to the airlines.  This requirement has not changed essentially in the new rule.  The more dramatic changes in the new rule are the additional requirements that first officers possess a type rating for their aircraft and that captains have at least 1,000 hours of airline experience.

R-ATP allows pilots to serve as FOs.

The new rule also creates the Restricted ATP (R-ATP) qualification, allowing a pilot to serve as an airline first officer before reaching the necessary 1,500 hours for a full, unrestricted ATP.  The R-ATP requires that the pilot be 21 years of age and successfully complete a checkride; in lieu of the minimum hours, it offers credit for specified education and training, thereby acknowledging that specialized, quality training can be an effective substitute for total experience.  The options for R-ATP minimum experience are:

  • 750 hours of total pilot time for military pilots
  • 1,000 hours for graduates holding a bachelor’s degree with an aviation major from an approved school
  • 1,250 hours for graduates holding an associate degree with an aviation major from an approved school

For each of these R-ATP options, the majority of total flight experience must have been obtained while enrolled in the specified programs.  It is worth noting that simply graduating from a two-year or four-year aviation program does not automatically grant eligibility for the R-ATP.  Each school that desires to certify its graduates for the R-ATP must apply for and receive approval from the FAA and must meet criteria outlined in Advisory Circular 61-139.

R-ATP is a good option for flight instructors who may not possess 500 hours cross-country experience.

A separate category of pilots includes those who may possess the 1,500 hours of total pilot time required for a full ATP but fall short of the requisite 500 hours of cross-country experience (e.g. flight instructors).  These pilots, who also have at least 200 hours of cross-country time and otherwise meet ATP experience requirements, are also eligible to apply for the R-ATP.

When transitioning to an unrestricted ATP, an FAA inspector can remove R-ATP limitations and issue a full ATP with paperwork only.  The applicant must present evidence that he has met the ATP age requirement (23) and the aeronautical experience requirements of § 61.155.  The applicant then must complete section III – Record of Pilot Time, on FAA Form 8710-1, Airman Certificate and/or Rating Application Supplemental Information and Instructions, to be issued the unrestricted ATP.

FAA only recently began granting institutional authority to certify for R-ATP.  A complete list of approved schools is available at https://www.faa.gov/pilots/training/atp/media/Institutional_Authority_List.pdf.  Given the recency of the rule and approval of schools, there exists a population of pilots who have graduated from programs prior to FAA approval and the ability to certify for R-ATP.  Unless the school takes steps to include this group in its approval or by other means, it’s conceivable some may not technically meet eligibility requirements – even if having graduated and followed the exact curriculum.

ATP-CTP requires training in a full motion flight simulator.

Also included in new ATP certification rules is the requirement to complete an FAA-approved Airline Transport Pilot Certification Training Program (ATP-CTP) prior to taking the FAA written exam for multiengine ATP.  ATP-CTP is a 40 hour course – 30 hours of ground school and 10 hours of simulator training – intended to prepare the applicant to operate safely in those operations which require an ATP.  Of the 10 hours of simulator training, six (6) hours must be completed in a Level C or higher full flight simulator that represents a multiengine, turbine airplane with a maximum takeoff weight of at least 40,000 pounds, rendering many corporate aircraft ineligible.

The ATP CTP serves as a prerequisite for the multiengine ATP written exam and includes training in:

  • Aerodynamics,
  • Automation,
  • Adverse weather conditions,
  • Air carrier operations,
  • Transport airplane performance,
  • Professionalism, and
  • Leadership and development.
ATP-CTP training may be included in some airline new-hire programs.

As of August 1, 2014, all persons applying for the ATP knowledge test are required to present a graduation certificate certifying the completion of an ATP-CTP before taking the written test.  For written tests taken before August 1, 2014, those test results still remain valid for 24 calendar months.  Written tests for multiengine ATP taken after July 31, 2014 are valid for 60 calendar months.  The ATP-CTP graduation certificate itself does not expire so there is no penalty and no harm in taking the ATP-CTP anytime that is convenient.

Single-engine ATP does NOT require the ATP-CTP course, but does require a separate single-engine ATP written exam.  Previously held exceptions for taking the ATP practical exam with expired written test results still hold true as provided in § 61.39(b) and (c) which relate to crewmembers of Part 121, 125 or 135 operators or certain foreign pilot license holders.

To date, very few approvals for ATP-CTP have been issued.  Sporty’s training partner, ABX Air, in Wilmington, Ohio, was one of the first outside of Embry Riddle Aeronautical University.  A list of eligible providers is available at https://www.faa.gov/pilots/training/atp/media/ATP_CTP_Providers.pdf.

The movement in the industry appears to be that many regional airline training departments will be creating ATP-CTP courses and seeking FAA approval indicating that completion of the ATP-CTP requirement may be accomplished in large part, as part of the hiring or on-boarding process of some regional airlines.

As you can see, there have been some dramatic changes in certification and the cost of the ATP written for multiengine has essentially gone from $150 to something north of $4,500 factoring in the costs of ATP-CTP.  But practical experience requirements to fly as an airline pilot remain nearly the same.  It’s much too early to see what effects the changes in certification may have on safety, but if you are in the category of having passed the ATP written exam prior to the ATP-CTP mandate, keep a close eye on those written test results and make sure you’ve earned the ATP before expiration.  And if you’re a collegiate aviation program graduate, ensure your institution had received institutional approval for R-ATP and if not, engage your school to determine where they may be in the process.

For additional information, FAA resources are available at https://www.faa.gov/pilots/training/atp/.

Out with the Old, In with the New

Recently, the FAA formally announced that they would be removing a number of test questions from the Private Pilot Knowledge Test.  These test questions involved topics such ADF/NDB and Medevac.  They also involved a number of weather related questions concerning Radar Summary Charts, EFAS (En Route Flight Advisory Service), and TWEBs (Transcribed Weather Broadcast).

Of the weather topics, the Radar Summary Chart and TWEB products have been essentially eliminated in the Continental United States.  Alaska still has TWEB products as of this writing.

This notice from the FAA got me thinking about these and some other weather products that have gone away in the last few years and what has come along to serve the same or a similar purpose.  I’ll touch on the TWEB and Radar Summary Chart in this post and perhaps touch on some others in a future post.

TWEB

TWEBs existed when I started flying many years ago and I’ve known about them from that early time.  As a pilot and a flight instructor, I can’t recall ever listening to one over all of those years.  I would generally just speak to a Flight Service or EFAS briefer instead.

TWEBs were designed to be a prerecorded location or route briefing.  These recordings would be broadcast over NDB or VOR facilities and you could tune in to listen to the message.  Some TWEB stations allowed you to call in via the telephone as well to listen to the recording.  The broadcast would include general weather information along with hazards, local METARs, and a forecast for the respective area.

To be useful, you needed to be flying the route specified or flying a local flight at the particular location.

If you were really a glutton for punishment, the National Weather Service (NWS) also prepared a text version of the TWEB complete with lots of abbreviations for your viewing pleasure.

249 TWEB 251402 KISN-KMOT-KGFK. ALL HGTS AGL XCP TOPS. KISN-50NM E KISN TIL 00Z P6SM SKC… AFT 00Z P6SM SCT050 LCL P6SM -TSRA BKN050. 50NM E KISN-KDVL TIL 20Z P6SM SCT070… AFT 20Z P6SM SCT070 LCL SFC WNDS VRB35G45KT 3-5SM TSRA CIGS OVC030-040. KDVL-KGFK TIL 16Z P6SM SCT-BKN020 AREAS 3-5SM BR… AFT 16Z P6SM SCT040.

Self-briefings through DUAT and later Lockheed Martin Flight Service’s website (let alone a call to Flight Service) allow you to get the same information but specific to your own route.  In-flight use of EFAS (Flight Watch) along with satellite and ground based weather downlink/uplink have eliminated much of the need for this prerecorded product.  Additionally, the consolidation of the many FSS stations under LM FSS has made this product more difficult to keep up to date even if there hadn’t been suitable replacements.

Radar Summary Chart

The Radar Summary Chart was a great product back in its day.  It was one of the few products that would give you an indication of the weather between reporting stations.  It would provide information on the height of the precipitation along with the intensity of storm cells and their general speed and direction of movement.  It contained a great deal of information that you need as a pilot.

Radar Summary ChartBack in the days before the Internet and smart phones with live radar, this was great information in a relatively compact product that could be received by teletype and later via FAX machine.  Black and images with contours for intensity told you much of what you needed to know.

There were a number of issues with the Radar Summary Chart but if you understood them, you could deal with them.  First, the chart only came out once per hour.  This meant that the information displayed could be out of date, especially with fast moving thunderstorm cells.  People complain that the Nexrad information being supplied to our cockpits isn’t real time but compared to the Radar Summary Chart, a 10-15 minute data delay is amazingly close.

Nowadays, one would think that the radar data shown in the Radar Summary Chart would be a digital transfer from live radar screens composited onto a single chart.  In its latter years this may have been the case, but for most of the life of this product it was actually compiled from a textual radar product known as a Radar Weather Report or RAREP.  RAREPs were and still are an ugly product.  They are tough to interpret without plotting them which is what the Radar Summary Chart did.

Here is a RAREP from today as I write this post (there is snow heading this way):

CLE 1935 AREA 8SW+ 262/20 108/11 27W
AUTO
^ML13 NL2
ILN 1935 AREA 6SW+ 272/19 116/10 30W
AUTO
^MM3 NM2
OHX 1935 AREA 2SW++ 273/125 137/110 153W
left: 30px;”>AUTO

^LL41 MI1 ML31 NI1111 NO11 OL111111 PI1111 QI111121

The black and white Radar Summary Chart saw its last transmission from the NWS back in June, 2013.  The FAA released a new computer testing supplement for the Sport, Recreational, and Private tests later that year with the old chart still a part of the test.  Thankfully, as of February 9th, 2015, it is no longer on the test.

NWS-RadarSummary-ColorThe NWS does have a color replacement product but it does seem to be missing some of the elements of the old chart.  The new product appears to come out every half hour which is an improvement and it does show more intensity levels through color than the old.  One important thing that it does not show is whether an area is blank because there are no echos or because there is no information (ie: equipment failure).  Also missing is an indication of the precipitation type that was found on the old chart.  Cell movement appears to be there but the symbology has changed from arrows to pennants.

In addition, nearly live radar with motion and color intensity are available from a number of resources.  Most of these products unfortunately do not include precipitation height which can be an important indicator to those of us who fly.  You also need to be fully aware of any limitations that the bright and shiny color radar display may have.  You may not want to stake your life on the latest free app that all of your ground-bound friends are using.

Conclusion

For many years, change in aviation was a slow process and it really still is, but change does come and we all need to keep up.  TWEBs and the black and white Radar Summary Chart both had their day.  Now, they are moving on to make way for bigger and brighter things.  Enjoy the ride!

Sporty’s Releases Updated Learn to Fly Course

New Content and Improved Functionality Deliver Even More Value

 

Nearly four hours of new high-definition video content have been added along with improved features for the popular written test prep application in the latest version release of Sporty’s Learn to Fly Course.

New video content includes training in cross-country flight operations that focuses on airspace, chart interpretation, planning, and detailed weather analysis that takes advantage of the latest products and technology available from the Aviation Weather Center and Lockheed Martin Flight Service.  Real-world cross-country scenarios examine pilotage and dead reckoning while also incorporating GPS and modern iPad EFB applications.  For those transitioning to night flying, you’ll also appreciate new tips and techniques.  Supplemented with new graphics and 3D animations that offer incredible detail, these new segments are sure to provide student pilots with information relevant to modern technology and the current training environment.

Additionally, Sporty’s is pleased to introduce on-screen Meteorologist Scott Dimmich in this latest version.  Scott’s extensive television experience, weather expertise and vast aviation knowledge really shines as he discusses advanced weather theory and frontal weather as it relates to cross-country flying.

Sporty’s has also improved functionality within the written test prep function of the course allowing users to more easily take advantage of the popular feature that allows the written exam endorsement to be earned directly from the course.  Test prep allows customized study sessions and simulated exams to be created with access to plain English explanations written by Sporty’s instructional team.

A detailed history of learning sessions is available anytime within customized Progress Reports for further review and to help measure progress.  Study achievements can even be shared with friends, fellow pilots and flight instructors.

At each login,  online and App users continue to gain access to brand new content at no additional charge. Sporty’s is regularly updating and refining video content, adding graphics and enhancing test preparation.  Users are guaranteed to pass their written, oral and flight tests and can even receive their written exam endorsement right from the course.

Sporty’s online Learn to Fly Course or Learn to Fly App is available for just $199.