System

Winds aloft charts have long been a staple of flight planning, if at least just to figure wind correction angles and groundspeed. But in Wx Smarts, we try to help you more fully exploit weather products to think more like a forecaster than a person just checking off boxes during preflight.

Like many active pilots, Ive enthusiastically embraced the transition to digital technology in the cockpit. The panel in our V35B Bonanza is well equipped for instrument flight, with Garmin navigators and an Aspen Evolution EFD1000 Pro primary flight display. But, I also wanted to add ADS-B traffic and weather information, and a way to carry instrument charts electronically without compromising safety.

In the October 2015 issue of IFR, I noted that the VOR reduction plan included a provision for something called the Minimum Operational Network, or MON. The FAA says that MON is specifically aimed at lower-end GA IFR aircraft in case of a GPS outage. I added that MON is a transitional strategy to get to something called APNT, or Alternate Positioning and Timing. Lets dig into this and explore the GPS backup support you can expect in the future as we transition from terrestrial to satellite navigation.

Loss of control in-flight (LOC-I) is the leading killer in GA, with more fatal accidents than the next six causes combined. The Colgan 3407 and Air France 447 crashes brought LOC-I to the forefront. Were forced to ask how we can lose control of perfectly good airplanes. The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics identified LOC-I as the most significant cause of commercial aviation fatalities worldwide.

Recently, a reader asked about a puzzling approach at Chatham, MA (KCQX). The RNAV (GPS)-B is perfectly aligned with Runway 24 and the descent angle is a routine 3.05 degrees, yet it has only circling minimums. Approaches most often just have circling minimums if the alignment to the runway exceeds 30 degrees (for most procedure types) or the descent angle is greater than 3.77 degrees (for Category C and below). So, whats up at Chatham?

On a musical note and for enjoyment of all the Parrotheads, Palm Beach International Airport (KPBI) recognizes avid pilot and aircraft owner Jimmy Buffett in the BUFIT ONE RNAV DEPARTURE which has waypoints JIMEY and BUFIT. Luca F Bencini-TiboWeston, FL Flying IFR southbound from a private airstrip near Sudbury, Ontario, I had the following exchange with Center: …

Electric airplanes are becoming a reality. There are already electric trainers in Europe, but the Federal Aviation Administration is just now considering accommodations for electric aircraft batteries and motors. It is reasonable to think that standards for fully certified aircraft with electric propulsion is well on its way.

There are two types of radar used in air traffic control: primary and secondary. Primary is commonly referred to as skin paint. Radio waves shoot out from a rotating radar antenna, bounce off the skin of whatever they hit, and return to the antenna. These only determine a targets location via its range and bearing from the antenna. The distance that location changes in the time between antenna sweeps is used to calculate its speed.

If your aircraft’s instrument landing system cannot go below half a mile, you will find trouble with Jeppesen charts, which measure runway visible range by one-eighth of a mile increments.

Lockheed Martin’s Flight Service Stations are still open, but the services for pre-flight briefing and cockpit assistance are dwindling fast. The FSS now pushes for more pilot self-assistance as it is gradually being replaced by digital applications.