System

Some of you are already yawning, thinking to yourselves, With GPS and moving maps, who needs VHF nav anyway? To an extent, thats a valid argument, especially regarding VORs. But, there are still a lot of localizer and localizer back course approaches out there, and you may have to fly one. You shouldnt entirely dismiss VHF navigation just yet.

The Aviation Safety Reporting System, ASRS, is a means of confidentially and anonymously reporting unsafe conditions-including your own actions-in aviation, generally without fear of FAA enforcement. Most of us are at least somewhat aware of the ASRS program, but few of us really understand how it works. This is an important program that is of benefit to aviation at large and potentially to us individually, so we should all understand what the ASRS system is, what it can do for us, and how to use it.

Reader feedback and questions from past issues of IFR. We read em all and try to answer most e-mail, but it can take a month or more. Please be sure to include your full name and location. Contact us at IFR@BelvoirPubs.com.

Visions of the future are the domain of science fiction-imagine a world where some fantastic thing is possible. The FAA presents its own vision in the Performance Based Navigation Roadmap, which is produced about every five years. The third edition is expected around the time you get this. In it the current status of performance-based navigation, PBN, a generalized term for RNAV and RNP (required navigation performance), is analyzed and goals are set for the near, intermediate and long term-each roughly five years apart.

Gyroscopes are an essential component of any instrument rig used for attitude, heading, turning, and navigation. Technological inventions created gyroscopes that work using a variety of theories. Each type of gyro is best suited for particular situations based on the type of information needed and the effect of drift. Three types of gyros are common in aviation. …

Its odd, considering how closely pilots and air traffic controllers must work together, that each tends to be unfamiliar with the others working conditions. At times it may feel like a marriage in distress, neglecting each others needs while trying to run the household of aviation. peaking from personal experience, two major keys to a good marriage are communication and empathy. Whats likely to happen if both parties express their needs, limits, and concerns effectively? A smoother operation with fewer surprise twists will hopefully result.

They almost made it. The aircraft was on a very short final when the nose started down. The flight crew pushed the thrust levers for both wing engines up to stop the sink but the left engine spooled up faster than the right engine and the aircraft started a turn to the right, from which there was no time to recover.

The national news seldom trains its eye on the FAA. So it was unusual when FAA Administrator Michael Huerta made the news with a speech he gave to the Flight Safety Foundation last October. His speech centered on a newly effective Compliance Philosophy which could represent a sea change for better relations between pilots and the FAA.

As a pilot you most certainly know that just about everything in aviation has a checklist. We controllers have our own checklists for a multitude of hazardous situations, unauthorized laser illumination included. I pulled up the appropriate checklist while the helo maneuvered.

It seems pretty obvious-start the procedure turn (PT) past the remain within fix and dont exceed the specified distance. But, there are other considerations such as having enough time and distance to make the FAF altitude inbound. Then, theres the Buchannan Field VOR Runway 19R approach at Concord, CA (KCCR). Here, the chart clearly shows that the procedure turn begins after HUKVI. Or does it?