Readback: December 2018

Im known to get my murds wixed up when talking to ATC, but try not to mix up inbound course headings. I know this was just a typo, but some 9th grade English teacher turned pilot will point this out to Fred. By the way, I am not that teacher, as I graduated in the 1/3 of the class that made the upper 2/3 possible! But then again, this could have been a test to see who could spot the error in this months magazine and for finding the error, that person will be awarded a brand new airplane. If thats the case, then my address is…

Editorial Staff

Sunday, November 18, 2018 at 12:00 AM ET

Verified

Key Takeaways:

A text-based service allows pilots to quickly retrieve METAR/TAF data by sending an airport ID, proving useful in areas with limited cell service.
ADS-B (FIS-B) lightning strike data provides an earlier indication of convective weather than NEXRAD, primarily by detecting intra-cloud lightning associated with early thunderstorm development.
Pilots receiving flight following are still responsible for explicitly requesting and confirming clearance into Class Bravo airspace, as it is not automatically granted.
The latest Airman Certification Standards (ACS) no longer require pilots to demonstrate flying a DME arc, a recent change in pilot proficiency requirements.

See a mistake? Contact us.

Quick Weather

Send a text from your cell phone to 714-352-4346 with the airport ID (4 characters e.g. KSBA) and you will quickly receive the METAR and TAF (if available) for the airport. This is really handy when you have limited or non-existent cell service, as a text will frequently go through.

This is just another cool tool. Now, if we can just get a clearance by text with a reasonable void time at non-towered airports, life will be even better.