1. Know the Notam! Know the Frequencies, the route, the altitudes and the procedures for after you land. Sun ‘n Fun opens this week, and if you’re flying in, you’d better expect not to be alone in the pattern. The Sun ‘n Fun arrival notam is up and ready to print out, so don’t launch without it. The FAA and Sun ‘n Fun have done a great job with it, and this year’s Notam is the best yet, with great pictures and much clearer descriptions of the procedure than ever before. Still, the arrival isn’t the easiest thing to follow, largely because of the unremarkable nature of Central Florida geography. So print it out and study up. Don’t try to figure it out on the fly, because once you’re out of the arrival flow, it can be hard to work your way back in.
2. Know when to talk and when not to talk. With dozens of airplanes arriving at the same time, key the mic only if you really, really need to (for immediate safety concerns, it goes without saying) and only if you think the controller needs to hear what you’re saying. What if you’ve been number three in line waiting for take off instructions for a while? Good for you. It’s better than being number 20 in line. Just wait a little longer in polite silence.
