Comments

Here's the text of my pre-take-off briefing for passengers and co-pilots that I have on my knee board: Seatbelts. Door Operations. Radio protocol. This will be a _________(normal, short field, soft field) takeoff from RWY _____. We anticipate takeoff roll of _________ feet and we have _______ feet of available runway. Rotation speed (Vr) is ______ KIAS and initial heading is ______ degrees to an altitude of _____ feet. We will then turn to a heading of _____degrees and cruise climb to _______. If any abnormalities/engine failure prior to rotation, we will abort rotation and liftoff. If the engine fails after rotation but before 800 feet AGL, we will land straight ahead. If the engine fails after reaching at least 800 AGL, we will use the parachute or attempt to return to field. I fly a Cirrus, and thus we have the parachute option if we're high enough.

Frankly, it is probably a good thing that the FAA is now legally required to treat pilots fairly, to allow them to see the government's evidence, and to treat them as innocent and able pilots until proven not to be both. Someday, perhaps we could hope to see an FAA which set for itself, as a major organization-wide goal, INCREASING the number of pilots in America, and increasing the use of America's airports and airspace for pleasure, business, sport and the expression of freedom. And, by the way, if someone drags the NOTAM system into the Internet Age, even with the FAA kicking and screaming in denial, well, that would be another good thing.