Mea Culpa

I was very pleased to read the "mea culpa" and clarification in your May issue to the effect that pilots of certified aircraft do not have to make their own independent calculation of the appropriate indicated VNE speed for each altitude within its operating altitude range. As you noted, FAR 23.1545(c) requires the manufacturer to make that information available to the pilot in the language you put in bold in the sidebar. You have a great magazine which is studied carefully by pilots interested in safety. So it is very important that misleading articles be corrected or clarified as you did in this instance. Congratulations to your readers who caught the error and to Aviation Safety for the correction.

Key Takeaways:

• The magazine corrected a previous error, clarifying that aircraft manufacturers are required to provide VNE speed information for all altitudes, and pilots are not responsible for independent calculations.
• Flying an aircraft with known mechanical discrepancies, such as a broken landing gear retraction mechanism, without proper investigation, logging, and potentially a ferry permit, is illegal and subject to FAA scrutiny.
• The FAA's WINGS Program has been updated from a 20-phase system to a three-level (Basic, Advanced, Master) credit-based system, offering individualized proficiency plans that can fulfill flight review requirements and allow instructors to renew certificates.

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