Feedback

I just read your editorial ("Assuming The Position," October) about "position and hold," which is now "line up and wait," which I last heard in fourth grade. It reminded me of when I first began flying in May 1981. In Riverside County, Calif., I learned of a vortac named March; not the month, the air force base. Its still there. A great big you-cant-miss-it vortac everyone knows about, next to March Air Force Base. I hadnt been flying long when the FAA renamed the vortac, in its eminent wisdom, to Homeland. I pondered: Why in the world would the FAA-which obviously had way too much time on its hands-rename the Vortac from a well-known feature, March Air Force Base, to an obscure name, Homeland? No one knew.

Key Takeaways:

• The FAA's renaming of aviation terminology (e.g., "position and hold" to "line up and wait") and navigational aids (VORTAC "March" to "Homeland") often draws criticism for being arbitrary or confusing, though some changes are driven by a need for international standardization.
• There's a strong argument for the U.S. aviation community to embrace international standards (like ICAO weather abbreviations and airspace classifications) to promote global safety, consistency, and avoid isolation, despite resistance to changing long-established practices.
• A critical gap in pilot training exists where independent flight instructors, often focused on building hours, may not adequately prioritize teaching crucial decision-making skills for unexpected emergencies, such as encountering low visibility.
• The common term "pitot/static checks" is misleading, as FARs 91.411 and 91.413 specifically mandate static pressure system and transponder tests, which have precise requirements regarding who can perform them and what is actually checked, often excluding the pitot system itself.

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