News site Jalopnik presents a graduate course in cool under fire:
Former Northwest Airlines Capt. John Hansen flew the airline’s Boeing 747 route from Detroit to Toyko for years. In 2002, the plane tried to kill him and 400 passengers. This is the never-before published story of how he saved them.
Hat tip: Gordon Boulton
There is no Class Foxtrot Airspace in the United States. Our colder comrades to the north do have Class F Airspace. It is similar to what we refer to as Special Use Airspace. While it is unlikely that we will find ourselves in Canadian Special Use Airspace anytime soon, it underscores that the airspace qualifications and limitations of this country do not translate across borders. A simple flight across the border will lead you into a vastly different ATC world. Before embarking on any international voyage a thorough review of the applicable sections of the AIM is very good idea.
Now we come to the last and least airspace—Class Golf Airspace—the lonely and only uncontrolled airspace. Class G Airspace exists mostly below 1,200 feet AGL but it some areas it will end at 700 feet AGL. Typically, these areas surround an airport where radar coverage allows Controllers to see aircraft at a lower altitude—thus lowering the floor of Class E Airspace. This area is indicated with a shaded magenta line around the airport on a Sectional Chart. Larger swaths of Class G Airspace do exist in remote mountainous regions.
It is the ONLY uncontrolled airspace. Pilots often remember Class G as “government-free” or “gummmit” free—depending on how much you enjoy chewing tobacco.
During day VFR, visibility must be at least one mile and you must remain clear of clouds. At night, the “3-152” rules come back: Three miles visibility with a cloud clearance of 1,000 feet above—500 feet below—2,000 feet horizontal.
Next, special use airspace
Wings of Eagles Assistant Chief Instructor Chris Carnett holds a CFI, CFII, and MEI. He is a former regional airline pilot and currently an adjunct professor at his alma mater, MTSU—where he earned his B.S. and M.Ed. in Aerospace.
Class Echo Airspace is the “everywhere” airspace – where there is not some other form of airspace you will likely find Class Echo Airspace. It extends from either 700ft or 1200ft AGL all the way to FL180. A shaded magenta circle denotes Class E Airspace that stops at 700 feet AGL. The lower altitude results from radar coverage provided to inbound IFR aircraft lower radar coverage. Class Echo Airspace also exists within four miles of the centerline of a federal airway and occasionally will extend all the way to the surface. The sectional chart depicts Class Echo airspace to the surface with dashed magenta lines.
Class E Airspace Beginning at 700' AGL
For a VFR flight, there are no additional equipment requirements for Class E Airspace. Additionally, there are no real certification requirements. The regulations state that you must be at least a student pilot. If you are operating an airplane solo, you had better be at least a student pilot. That was easy!
Below 10,000 feet it’s the 3-152 rule again. Above 10,000 feet, a new rule enters the confusing equation: F-111 – Five miles visibility, 1000 feet above, 1000 below, and 1 mile horizontal from clouds.
Class E Airspace with floors of 700' AGL, 9,500' MSL, 10,500' MSL, 12,000' MSL, & 14,500' MSL
Next, What happened to Class F Airspace? And, we go uncontrolled.
Wings of Eagles Assistant Chief Instructor Chris Carnett holds a CFI, CFII, and MEI. He is a former regional airline pilot and currently an adjunct professor at his alma mater, MTSU—where he earned his B.S. and M.Ed. in Aerospace.
Class Delta surrounds many small airports and is sometimes referred to as a VFR Tower. The airspace is generally a cylinder but may include some sort of extension to accommodate an approach area. Most Class Delta towers are part time (some C Airports are as well, they close). When the tower closes the airspace reverts down to Class Echo or
Smyrna Class D Airspace
Class Golf. Check the Airport/Facility Directory for information on this as well as the airport tower’s operating hours. When the tower is closed, the airport is uncontrolled just like any other with airplanes making position reports over the CTAF frequency.
Flagstaff, AZ Class D Is Only 6nm Across
Just establish two way communication. No transponder needed! Some Class Delta airports [MQY, for example] have a radar link to a nearby approach control. This leads many Controllers to ask if you are equipped with a transponder. While it helps the controller immensely to see you on radar, a transponder is not required to enter Class Delta Airspace.
Ft. Campbell Class D Contains Two Satellite Airports
Once again, it’s the 3 – One Fifty Two rule. Also, in order to takeoff in any form of controlled airspace a ceiling of 1000 feet and visibility is required.
Next, we look at Class E Airspace.
Wings of Eagles Assistant Chief Instructor Chris Carnett holds a CFI, CFII, and MEI. He is a former regional airline pilot and currently an adjunct professor at his alma mater, MTSU—where he earned his B.S. and M.Ed. in Aerospace.
Wings of Eagles Assistant Chief Instructor Chris Carnett holds a CFI, CFII, and MEI. He is a former regional airline pilot and currently an adjunct professor at his alma mater, MTSU—where he earned his B.S. and M.Ed. in Aerospace.
Being Australian, July 4th was more about fireworks and grilling out than commemorating the adoption of the Declaration of Independence, as Americans do each year. But as of now, Independence Day is exactly that for me. It’s the day I took my first solo flight in the Katana DA-20. It’s the day I independently flew an airplane, solo. It’s a day I will never forget.
I wasn’t one of those people who grew up dreaming of flying. I am just a girl who found herself one day working in the field of aviation. Each and every day I would look out of my office window (which overlooks the ramp at KMQY) and see a multitude of large and small airplanes taxi up and park in front of my wall of glass windows. It was bound to happen one day…..the day I decided I wanted to fly one.
It has not been an easy journey for me, getting to the stage of soloing. I’ve had to overcome some discomfort of learning maneuvers which had me feeling as though I was about to fall out of the sky. I didn’t. I’ve had to bring an airplane down to land, fishtailing down the runway and trying to get it back on the center line. But I got it down. 
I’ve had to make myself put my head in the books when everyone else was out enjoying the gorgeous Tennessee weather. And I’ve had to overcome the fear of flying the Katana without my instructor Kirk in the right seat, there to assist if needed.
I knew I was going to be soloing on Sunday the 4th of July. I made sure I was there early so the air was smooth and free of “bumps”, so the winds were calm, and I could just concentrate on flying the pattern and bringing her down for nice soft landings. I thought I would have been more nervous. I was much more nervous the weeks before when I knew my solo was coming up. But honestly, on the day, while driving my car to the airport, I was relaxed and excited. I was even singing in the car as my favorite song came on. It was definitely the day! I was feeling good.
So, Kirk and I took off and flew around in the pattern for three touch and goes. All fine. None messy, so that was a good sign. He then told me to taxi and park in front of the FBO. That was it! That was the cue that I was about to do this all on my own. I didn’t really even say much, I just pulled up and halfway heard him say to go and do three take offs and landings. I was thinking about everything I’ve learnt, and how I have to do everything just as I had done many times before. So I did.
When the wheels left the ground on my first takeoff, there was no going back. I just kept talking my way through everything I needed to do. “Pitch for 65….pitch for 65….flaps out….pitch for 75……right turn out…..power back at 1500ft….”. And everything just happened as it was supposed to. My first two landings were fine. Not perfect, but pretty darn good. Coming in for my third I was thinking I was going to nail it. 
Three great landings on my solo flight! Um, well, I was coming in a little fast, landed, then bounced back up to fly for a little more. “Ok, power’s on idle right? Yep. Ok, well, just flare again Rachel”, I told myself as I came back down onto the runway. My third landing wasn’t so hot, but I didn’t care. I’d just done something which only weeks earlier I thought I’d never do without Kirk being beside me. It’s quite liberating, and for all the times I thought I couldn’t do, I was elated to have just proven to myself that I could. I was proud of myself, and even happy to have Kirk cut the back out of my t-shirt (an American flying tradition). It meant I was one step closer to being part of the club. A pilot.
I was told the other day that it’s all downhill from the solo. NO WAY. There’s still so much more. There’s the solo cross-country, the 10 takeoff and landings at night (the first one of those was not so hot), the written test and the check ride. Sigh…..I guess there’s a few more blogs coming then, eh?
The Emergency Order of Revocation is the swiftest and harshest form of FAA punishment. By invoking emergency authority, the FAA bypasses the typical civil court process and summarily revokes all FAA certificates held by an individual. Even if the pilot logged thousands of hours as an airline captain–he/she must now begin again as a student pilot. Just how bad does one have to screw up to warrant emergency action by the FAA? United States federal law allows the FAA to invoke emergency authority when the agency determines a situation is hazardous enough that the safety of air commerce is threatened and thus immediate action is required to protect the flying public. To steal a line from Airplane!–the FAA is stating, “he’s a menace to himself and everything else in the air… yes, birds too.”
Hopefully, all of us will never have the misfortune to receive an Emergency Order? I certainly don’t plan on it. In fact, you would almost have to plan on it. For the FAA to invoke emergency authority a blatant disregard for safety and the regulations is almost always present. One such instance was published by the aviation news website AVweb. In June 2010, AVWeb published an Emergency Order of Revocation issued against a pilot who repeatedly buzzed a beach in Texas while flying a Diamond DA40 in March 2010.
The letter alleges that on March 14, 2010 the pilot, Joseph Kirbow, and two unnamed passengers departed Southeast Texas Regional Airport (BPT–Beaumont, TX) in Kirbow’s Diamond DA40, tail number N134PS on a mission to “buzz the beach” nearby. Once at the beach, Kirbow proceeded to make numerous low passes across the populated beach–all of which were estimated to be below fifty feet and as low as fifteen feet when the pilot dived directly at a vehicle. Kirbow flew so close to a fisherman he snagged the fisherman’s line and snapped the fisherman’s pole in half. Beach-goers were horrified to see the pilot laughing and smiling during these insane maneuvers while the passengers waved down enthusiastically. After returning to his home airport, Kirbow learned the local authorities had been notified of his activities. He quickly phoned his two passengers and instructed them to lie to investigators. He told one passenger to state she was “never on that plane” and the other passenger that the plane was experiencing “engine trouble” over the beach. This guy really took careless and reckless to a whole other level…
Sounds false, doesn’t it? A media hyped sensation, maybe? But alas, it’s true. There is even an amateur video shot from the beach and posted on YouTube.
Read the entire Emergency Order Of Revocation here. Honestly, it proves that there are some people out there who just shouldn’t be pilots.
Thanks for reading. Wishing all of you blue skies, safe flights, and smooth rides. Write me with any questions, comments, stories, concerns, and corrections at Chris.C@WingsMQY.com.
Wings of Eagles Assistant Chief Instructor Chris Carnett holds a CFI, CFII, and MEI. He is a former regional airline pilot and currently an adjunct professor at his alma mater, MTSU—where he earned his B.S. and M.Ed. in Aerospace.
Class Charlie Airspace is located over moderately busy airports. If a town has airline service and is not some sort of major hub it is probably Class Charlie Airspace. Think of C for Common. Over 120 airports nationwide have this form of airspace. Locally, airports such as Nashville, Knoxville, Chattanooga, and Knoxville are Class Charlie Airspace. It is substantially smaller than Bravo rising only to 4000 feet AGL and with a radius of 10 nm. There is a twenty mile ring not depicted on charts. ATC will be available to provide radar services in this area but you are not required to talk to Approach Control.
Nashville Class C Airspace
Other than establishing two-way radio communication, you need an operating Mode C Transponder is required to enter Class Charlie Airspace. Don’t let the relative size of these airports fool you. They can be the evil little brother of Bravo airports. Convoluted taxiway diagrams a bound! Have an experienced pilot buddy ride along.
Remember the phrase “Three One-Fifty-Two” – three miles visibility with cloud clearance requirements of 1000 feet above, 500 feet below, and 2000 feet horizontal distance from clouds.
We’ve mentioned several times that you need a Mode C Transponder, let’s have a complete list:
Next, What happens when you merge an old Airport Traffic Area with an obsolete Control Zone? Class D Airspace, of course!
Wings of Eagles Assistant Chief Instructor Chris Carnett holds a CFI, CFII, and MEI. He is a former regional airline pilot and currently an adjunct professor at his alma mater, MTSU—where he earned his B.S. and M.Ed. in Aerospace.
With temporary certificate in hand, what is the first thing most newly minted pilots do? Maneuvers in the practice area? No! They take people flying–many of whom have never been in anything close to a general aviation airplane. To the flying public, a “little airplane” is a fifty thousand pound regional jet. You need an orderly and logical process to brief these passengers to ensure the same information is conveyed every time. In the airlines, they do this with scripts and pre-recorded announcements. We need something more adaptable and engaging. Remember the mnemonic device S-A-F-E-T-Y: Seat belts, Air, Fire, Exits, Traffic, and You.
If your aircraft has doors on both sides of the fuselage, it is a good idea to develop and brief specific exit procedures to facilitate rapid evacuation of the aircraft. For example, you might plan on keeping your seat forward to allow rear seat passengers to exit via the left door, while you follow the right-seat passenger out the starboard door. This method allows you, as PIC and captain of your ship, to oversee the passenger evacuation before leaving the aircraft yourself. For aircraft with a single right-side door, consider what works best for a given group of passengers. You might want to have the right seat passenger exit and move the seat to allow rear seat passengers to follow, with you departing last. Alternatively, you might want to follow the right-seat passenger but remain at the door to assist in the evacuation of those in the rear seats. There is no single correct evacuation strategy, so the most important thing is to think it through in advance and communicate the plan to your passengers.
During your own training, how often did you practice the passenger briefing? In the early stages of my own, my instructor gave me a quick overview we didn’t return to the topic until checkride prep. On the checkride, the examiner told me with a wave of his hand he was, “familiar with the airplane,” and did not need to be briefed . Throughout most of my training–and all my checkrides–I have not been asked to give a passenger briefing. In an industry where our main purpose is transporting people from A to B, this is not good. As instructors, we often don’t ask for passenger briefings because we are concerned with the student’s time and desire to get airborne. While efficiency in training has its place, practicing–or better yet, rehearsing–the passenger briefing is vital. Rehearse briefing another pilot. Rehearse briefing a seasoned flier. Rehearse briefing a first time flier. Rehearse briefing a nervous flier.
If I’m not familiar with the pilot or passenger, I don’t ask if they would like a briefing. I just brief. Pilots especially. Be absolutely clear who is the Pilot In Command of the flight. While most passengers readily accept a briefing, some timid passengers will not speak up – which is all well and good until you need them to operate the fire extinguisher.
The passenger briefing is an integral portion of flight safety. Your passengers are your children, friends, co-workers, and family. Think about your own safety briefing. Can you be absolutely sure in an actual emergency your passengers will know exactly what to do?
Thanks for reading. Wishing all of you blue skies, safe flights, and smooth rides.
On June 4, 2010, the Federal Aviation Administration issued Runway Safety Bulletin No. 32. The Safety Bulletin outlines significant changes to the procedure controllers use to issue a runway crossing clearance. The revisions take effect June 30, 2010. The two page document contains several procedural changes pilots should take note of:
During runway construction, holding position signs will no longer be covered. Image courtesy the FAA.
Why all the changes? It’s an action designed to prevent runway incursions. What are runway incursions? The FAA defers to the definition of the international governing body of aviation — the International Civil Aviation Organization [ICAO -- pronounced "eye-kay-oh"]. ICAO defines a runway incursion as
“any occurrence at an aerodrome involving the incorrect presence of an aircraft, vehicle, or person on the protected area of a surface designated for the landing and take-off of aircraft.”
In plain English: any time an airplane or vehicle enters a runway without permission, it’s a runway incursion. Even if no other airplanes are present and no collision threat exists, a runway incursion occurs. As the numbers of runway incursions grew, the FAA began a safety initiative known as the Office of Runway Safety.
In the beginning, it was tough to see a common thread — lack of experience certainly wasn’t a factor. Too few student pilots and far too many ATPs were routinely violated for runway incursions. The FAA launched an aggressive education campaign. Through online courses, mailers, and free DVD materials, the FAA successfully brought the issue to the forefront in many company safety departments. Plans were put in place. Taxi checklists were shortened. The number of runway incursions began to decline. The numbers have fallen but in recent years have begun to level out. Compare the first three quarters of fiscal year 2010 to the same period in 2009 we see fifty less runway incursions in 2010 — a small drop when you consider the average quarter has close to two hundred incidents. Safety Bulletin 32 will hasten the decline in runway incursions. Our first real clue if the simple phraseology change reduces the number of actual runway incursions will come in the 4th quarter of 2010.
Smyrna Airport Diagram, red circles showing each of the eight runway crossing points.
The FAA Safety Bulletin seeks to lower the number of runway incursions by canceling out the portion of the Aeronautical Information Manual that states whenever a controller clears an:
“aircraft to ‘taxi to’ an assigned takeoff runway, the absence of holding instructions authorizes the aircraft to ‘cross’ all runways which the taxi route intersects except the assigned takeoff runway.” [AIM 4-3-18]
Once the new rule is in effect, clearances no longer will contain an implied runway crossing clearance. Whether to cross or hold short will be explicitly stated. Clearance Example One, below, shows the old phraseology with an implied clearance.
1) Katana 322DC, Runway 19 — taxi via Juliet and Delta.
Now, we’ll need explicit direction to either hold short or cross the runway. We can expect one of two clearances:
2) Katana 322DC, Runway 19 — taxi via Juliet — cross Runway 14.
OR
3) Katana 322DC, Runway 19 — taxi via Juliet — hold short Runway 14.
Before June 30, Clearances One and Two were interpreted identically by pilots. Now, we must wait for instructions in order to cross any runway along our route.
An added perk of the new ATC procedure is the elimination of excessively long taxi clearances. With controllers restricted from issuing complex clearances to cross multiple runways, the taxi clearance naturally become shorter because the controller chunks the information into several smaller clearances. By chunking the information, the pilot is able to more easily remember the taxi clearance. Although, you really should not attempt to remember the taxi clearance — write it down.
What does it all mean for the MQY-based pilot?
Since we’re on the topic of runway incursions — a few final words on safe taxi practices. Due to the high number of fatal automobile accidents related to text messaging, many states have adopted laws banning “texting while driving.” In January 2010, the U.S. Department of Transportation banned the use of mobile devices while operating a commercial truck or bus nationwide. Any commercial driver who violates this rule faces a fine of up to $2,750 from the DOT. While “texting while taxiing” is not usually a problem, I’ve seen many pilots complete checklists, organize the flight plan, program the GPS, and even begin the run-up during the taxi. These are often genuine attempts to expedite things in a hot and expensive aircraft. However, taxiing is simply not the time to be fiddling with a checklist, organizing the flight plan, or twisting buttons on the GPS. Taxiing an aircraft is a time to keep your head up and your eyes outside the cockpit.
Speaking of looking out the window, can you even see outside the cockpit? Or do you have to squint through a half inch of dead bugs? A good scrub off of the befallen bug brethren before each flight can greatly enhance your situational awareness by allowing you see where you are going. Try it sometime — you’ll be amazed at the increase in visibility. The cans and wipes are in the aircraft flight bag for that very purpose. Personally, I learned my lesson when I grabbed the controls from a student pilot and took evasive action to dodge what I thought was a Cessna coming at us head on — turns out it was a dead dragonfly only a foot away splattered on the canopy. I’ve been better about cleaning the windows since then… It’s funny how we pilot’s learn sometimes…
Image courtesy of the Canadian Owners & Pilots Association
In conclusion — remember this wise radio communication advice above all else: if you are unsure of a clearance, ask for clarification. If you are unsure of the phraseology — just use plain English. Some of the biggest radio foul-ups happen when a pilot tries to convert to aviation talk. Talk to the human being in the tower, in plain English, and be one hundred percent certain you understand a clearance before accepting it. Ninety-nine percent of controllers will be happy you asked for clarification and even thank you for it. The other one percent may get testy, but even they would rather repeat the transmission than spend the afternoon doing paperwork for a runway incursion they should have prevented.
At Wings Of Eagles we want to hear feedback from our blog readers. I encourage you to write me with any questions, comments, stories, concerns, and corrections at Chris.C@WingsMQY.com.
Thanks for reading. Wishing all of you blue skies, safe flights, and smooth rides.
Wings of Eagles Assistant Chief Instructor Chris Carnett holds a CFI, CFII, and MEI. He is a former regional airline pilot and currently an adjunct professor at his alma mater, MTSU—where he earned his B.S. and M.Ed. in Aerospace.
Class Bravo Airspace surrounds thirty-four of the nation’s busiest airports. It’s big, busy, and blue. The airspace is in the shape of an upside down multiple layer wedding cake. The exact dimensions differ but generally Class Bravo Airspace has a thirty nautical mile radius and extends to 10000 feet agl.
Memphis Class B Airspace
To fly VFR, you need three statute miles visibility and the ability to remain clear of clouds.
Next, you can likely avoid Class Bravo Airspace as a PPL, but it is much more difficult to avoid the airspace surrounding the more than 120 Class Charlie Airports that are spread throughout the country.
Wings of Eagles Assistant Chief Instructor Chris Carnett holds a CFI, CFII, and MEI. He is a former regional airline pilot and currently an adjunct professor at his alma mater, MTSU—where he earned his B.S. and M.Ed. in Aerospace.
