WELCOME PILOTS
We hope 2014 is off to a great start for you. After a little
break, we are back to producing more of your favorite videos and articles.
Great news! WingsOfun has been invited to speak at the Sebring (Florida) Light
Sport Expo (http://www.sport-aviation-expo.com/,
January 16-19, 2014. Yours truly will be presenting the popular “Operations at
Non-Towered Airports for Recreational Pilots” during the weekend portion of the
event (details below).
FAA Announces its six UAS test sites for Unmanned Aerial Vehicle
(UAV) operations across the United States (http://www.faa.gov/about/initiatives/uas/infographic/).
Sadly, my home state of North Carolina didn’t make the cut, but according to
Kyle Snyder, Director NextGen Air Transportation (NGAT), in a recent newsletter
stated, “Although including the Gull Rock Test Site (Hyde County, North
Carolina) among the national test sites would have been the icing on the cake,
we are still committed to the mission of making our state a leader in this emerging
industry.”
Subscriber Don Peters shared a great story about the Aviation
Career Expo at the TIMCO Invitational basketball tournament that took place
last month in Greensboro, N.C.. The heavy aircraft maintenance repair station
TIMCO sponsored the local basketball tournament that included a unique
opportunity for attendees to learn more about careers in aviation. To help with
the effort members of the aviation community, local aviation colleges and
businesses set-up display booths to educate visitors. I commend the organizers
of the event for taking two seemingly unrelated topics and making it an
opportunity for super aviation marketing. This reminds me a lot of the
marketing campaign of the Scion automobile company that sponsored several local
community basketball events to target young buyers. The next time your
community has a festival or celebration be sure to include an element of
aviation.
~TC Freeman
Chief Executive Aviation Ambassador (CEAA)
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Your opportunity to continue the dialog is on FaceBook:
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PILOT SAFETY MINUTE VIDEO #26 ~ COCKPIT RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
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NEW
AUDIO PRESENTATION AVAILABLE:
OPERATIONS AT NON-TOWERED AIRPORTS FOR RECREATIONAL PILOTS
(Roll-Out Special $1.99)
With
the issue of sequestration, the shut-down of many Air Traffic Control Towers is
a possibility. Regardless, it is important to know how to safely and
efficiently operate at Non-Towered Airports. In this audio book TC Freeman
discusses; straight in approaches, dealing with aircraft on extended downwind
and traffic pattern entries.
(Run
time: 34 minutes)
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WHAT PILOTS NEED TO KNOW
ABOUT ADS-B (Part I)
BY
TC FREEMAN
There
have been a lot of questions regarding the future and capabilities of the
Automatic Dependent Surveillance Broadcast (ADS-B) system. The reason for
requiring aircraft to have a minimum of ADS-B “out” units installed by the year
2020 is to allow aircraft to be seen as a “blip,” in a broader sense known as
Traffic Information Service Broadcast (TIS-B), on aircraft equipped with the
appropriate digital display. The bigger picture of ADS-B is NextGen, the FAA’s
strategic plan to modernize the air traffic control system. NextGen promises
more efficient and cost effective operations through reduced vertical
separation (putting more aircraft in less space), better remote area radar-like
coverage, available in-cockpit weather and lower cost through a transition from
ground based navigation facilities. Can recreational pilots benefit from ADS-B?
The answer is yes and no, but let us cover some of the details first.
2020
is the year by which aircraft owners are required to have a minimum standard of
ADS-B “out” units installed in their aircraft. This means that the unit will
only broadcast “out” information regarding about aircraft altitude
(displacement) and direction of flight information (and Air Traffic Control) to aircraft with the
appropriate display.
The
downside of ADS-B for the multitude of cost-conscience pilots flying basic
instrument equipped aircraft (those without a Wide Area Augmentation GPS or
mode S transponder with extended squitter) is that the “out” units come at a cost
(while no such approved unit exists at this time - to be discussed in a future
article) with no real benefit to the
pilot. I suppose one could say a benefit would be that fully equipped ADS-B
aircraft and Air Traffic Control (ATC) would have this information. However,
this depends on the vigilance of the folks using the information appropriately.
The FAA states, “Under the rule, ADS-B
Out performance will be required to operate in:
- Class
A, B, and C.
- Class
E airspace within the 48 contiguous states and the District of Columbia at
and above 10,000 feet MSL, excluding the airspace at and below 2,500 feet
above the surface.
- Class
E airspace at and above 3,000 feet MSL over the Gulf of Mexico from the coastline
of the United States out to 12 nautical miles.
- Around
those airports identified in 14 CFR part 91, Appendix D.
It’s
interesting to note that aircraft “not originally certified with an electrical
system” is off the hook so to speak. Otherwise, if you are comfortable with
being relegated to flying below 2,500 AGL, in Class G and some E airspace, then
those with electrical systems are good to go.
Proposed
installation of only ADS-B “out” units reminds me of a story one of my Airframe
and Powerplant (A&P) instructors told me regarding customer perception of
aircraft engine maintenance. When a customer brought an aircraft to his shop
for complex engine work there was a policy that all engines be painted prior to
delivery back to the customer. Why? Think of the customer that pays big money
for engine work but picks up the same crusty old looking aircraft he or she
dropped off a week prior. Now imagine that same customer walking out to the
recently worked on aircraft to see an open cowling containing an engine with
bright shiny new paint. It makes the customer feel like something has been done
to the aircraft and with great care. The customer almost thinks he or she is
flying away with a new aircraft engine, not simply throwing money away into a
money pit. I can see how an aircraft owner miffed about an ADS-B “out” purchase
as a waste of money without a tangible benefit.
The
bottom line is that ADS-B “out” operators will be beneficial to the other
stakeholders in the game; the airlines, fully equipped ADS-B aircraft and ATC.*Some
pilots are taking a hybrid approach, a certified ADS-B “out” with non-certified
“In” capabilities. If you own an aircraft with a multi-function display or plan
to “trick out” your aircraft with the latest and greatest avionics package then
there are significant benefits that go along with this investment.
(To be continued next
week.)
Correction: We stated that aircraft would be "...relegated to flying below 2,500 AGL, in Class G and some E airspace..." which is incorrect. Aircraft can fly in Class G and some E airspace. We suggest using the quote from the FAA above as the best guide to understanding.
*This will most likely extend to UAV operators in the future.
REMEMEMBER
THE 1ST “NATIONAL TAKE FLIGHT DAY” is
Saturday,
APRIL 12, 2014 www.NationalTakeFlightDay.com
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OPERATION: FLY NC NEWS
Discuss
OP: Fly NC with fellow pilots at: https://www.facebook.com/messages/?action=read&tid=alsnt5SzT1aq%2FJy8joa%2B7g#!/groups/189450767792238/
Thanks
to Operation: Fly NC pilot Jay Darmstadter for the following updates:
*At
Siler City (5W8), the stamp is in a mailbox with a Fly NC logo on a column
outside the door to the FBO, so it can be accessed anytime.
*The
stamp is missing from the mailbox at Hyde County (7W6).
Here
is a previously mentioned update:
*The
JAARS/Townsend Airport (N52) stamp that was reported as missing from the
telephone box has been found.
*Tuesday,
January 14, 2014 (6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.) Person Co. Pilots Association meeting.
Seminar topic: Pilot and Aircraft Performance.
*Saturday,
January 18, 2014 (9:30 a.m. – 10:45 a.m.) Sebring (Florida) Light Sport Expo.
Seminar Topic: Operations at Non-Towered Airports for Recreational Pilots. See
the complete schedule and information at: http://www.sport-aviation-expo.com/event-details/workshops/
*Sunday,
January 19, 2014 (9:30 a.m. – 10:45 a.m.) Sebring (Florida) Light Sport Expo.
Seminar Topic: Operations at Non-Towered Airports for Recreational Pilots. See
the complete schedule and information at: http://www.sport-aviation-expo.com/event-details/workshops/
*(UPDATED!) Saturday, February 15,
2014 (time
to be announced) B Bar D Flight Training (Allegro), Raleigh Executive South Jetport
(TTA). Seminar topic: Operations at Non-Towered Airports. Contact: B Bar D at:
(919) 775-2224
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eBook
Special $3.99
HOW TO SAVE MONEY ON FLIGHT TRAINING
*INCLUDES SPECIAL CAREER PILOT SECTION!
http://tinyurl.com/lw2s674
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OUR FAVORITE VIDEOS FROM THE WEB ~ Clay Lacy and the Amazing Human Fly*************************************************************************************
I’ve
heard about Clay Lacy over the years and was fortunate to stumble across this
story about one of his exploits.
