Close-In Changes

Thursday, March 19, 2020 at 01:31 PM ET

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Key Takeaways:

Modern flight tools like Electronic Flight Bags (EFBs) significantly speed up approach plate changes, and new NWS experimental products (NBM graphics) offer superior long-range graphical weather forecasts.
Pilots must be aware of mid-air collision risks when following ground features in low visibility, and individual risk management standards can evolve, leading to re-evaluation of past flight decisions.
Concerns exist regarding ATC's "caution: wake turbulence" warnings, with criticism that they transfer liability to pilots without providing sufficient actionable information for effective avoidance.

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I’d like to add one more suggestion to Thomas Turner’s article on “Handling In-Close Approach Changes” (January 2020). Using ForeFlight on a tablet, I have found the pilot can switch from one approach plate to another in literally a couple of seconds rather than the several minutes it takes to thumb through a booklet looking for the appropriate paper approach plate.

David Shepherd – Via email