One way student pilots demonstrate the subject matter expertise required to hold a private pilot license (PPL) is by taking and passing a written exam. Some of the topics on this exam are particularly challenging, and certain questions tend to be answered incorrectly more than others.

What Is the Private Pilot Knowledge Exam?

The written exam, known as the PAR (private pilot airplane) or PPL written, is a multiple-choice timed knowledge test. Student pilots take this test after completing ground school. The written test is taken at a computer testing center and requires an endorsement from a CFI stating the student is ready to take the test.

How Many Questions Are on the Private Pilot Written Test?

The multiple-choice computer-based test includes 60 questions with three answer choices per question. Test takers are given 120 minutes to complete the exam. Once the exam is complete or the clock runs out, the test is automatically scored and results are printed at the testing center.

How to Pass the Private Pilot Written Test

You must answer at least 70 percent of FAA private pilot written exam questions correctly to pass. Since the PPL test includes 60 questions, at least 42 of your answers need to be right. Although the test is challenging, the PAR (Private Pilot Airplane) written exam has a 90 percent pass rate with an average score of 82 percent, according to the FAA’s 2023 statistics report.

How to Prepare for the Private Pilot Written Test

One of the best ways to get ready for the FAA PPL written exam is to complete a ground school course. Depending on where you do your flight training, your flight school or flight instructor may provide ground instruction as part of your training syllabus.

If ground school isn’t included in your training program, it’s a great idea to go through a reputable online program on your own. There are many self-paced online courses that teach all the basic concepts needed to pass your written test and be a safe pilot.

10 Hardest Questions on the PPL Written Test

While everyone will have their own unique challenges with ground and flight training, some training topics are more universally misunderstood than others. Also, some test questions are more complicated than others. They may involve charts or data, which can be time-consuming to work through, leaving more room for error.

The actual questions found on the exam and in private pilot written test prep materials are copyrighted. Consequently, while the following example questions are emblematic of those most frequently missed, they are not the exact ones you should expect to find on your PPL written exam. Regardless, if you’re looking for information on how to pass the private pilot written exam, our advice is to pay extra attention to these areas. 

1. Weather Report Interpretation

Weather interpretation is an important skill all pilots must develop to make safe and smart decisions. Decoding and interpreting weather reports can be tough in the beginning, but it’s best to start getting comfortable with the language now. There will likely be at least one or two coded reports on your written exam.

The best way to learn how to decode a meteorological aerodrome (or meteorological terminal air) report (METAR) is to pull up a decoder tool and work through sample reports section by section. You can also use the Weather Center METAR finder to generate real-time reports. 

First, give it your best attempt at decoding unassisted, but if you get really stumped, you can use the decoder for clarity. Obviously, you won’t be able to use a decoder in the exam, so it’s important not to become overly reliant on this tool. 

For extra support with METARs and weather interpretation, King Schools offers an 80-minute training workshop, exclusively on this topic. Check out more King Schools training programs here.

Example question: The remarks section of a METAR report reads RAB28. What does this mean?

2. Airspace Identification and Required Equipment

Written test questions about airspace and sectional charts are designed to test your ability to navigate safely and legally through the skies. Different classes of airspace have different rules, and it’s important to be familiar with the requirements for all airspace types.

To practice for these types of questions, pick an airport on a sectional chart and identify all layers of airspace from the surface to the top of the atmosphere. Check your work with a digital sectional like SkyVector or ForeFlight, or ask a CFI if you’re not sure.

Example question: Identify the airspace over X airport. (A reference image will be provided during the test.)

3. Center of Gravity Graphs and Tables

Weight and balance questions are a test of a pilot’s ability to load their aircraft correctly. Airplanes have a weight limit, and limitations on where weight is placed.

One step that can sometimes get missed on these types of questions is scanning the given chart or graph for all available information. For example, you’ll usually need to reference the chart to find the empty weight of the airplane, and add that to the weights provided in the question. If you add only the given weights (usually weights are defined for pilot, passengers, fuel, and cargo), the total will be far too low and your answer won’t make sense.

Another mistake that is often made here is forgetting to convert the fuel amount from gallons to pounds. Aviation fuel weighs six pounds per gallon. In the example below, the given fuel amount is 50 gallons, but you’ll need to know the weight. The weight (gallons x six pounds. = Weight) is 50 x six, or 350 pounds.

Platforms like Gold Seal and ASA offer some great resources within their ground school program to help students understand and practice weight and balance questions.

Example question: Find the location of the center of gravity on an airplane loaded with the following weights: 

Pilot = 200 pounds 

Passengers in the aft position = 300 pounds 

Baggage = 100 pounds

Fuel = 50 gallons 

(A chart or graph will be provided to plot this information.)

4. Density Altitude

Questions about density altitude range from computing the effects of changes in air temperature to evaluating the best response in a given flight scenario. The important thing to remember with these questions is that density altitude changes inversely with altitude. As altitude increases, density altitude decreases.

Make sure to bring an E6B flight computer into your exam in case you need to calculate density altitude or find a temperature conversion. Sporty’s electronic E6B is an approved tool you can take into the exam and is faster and easier than the classic sliding E6B.

Example question: How does an increase in temperature from 30 degrees Fahrenheit (F) to 45 F affect the density altitude if the pressure altitude remains at 4,000 feet msl?

5. VFR Weather Minimums

It can be tough to keep all of the different requirements straight when it comes to visual flight rules (VFR) weather minimums. Each class of airspace has its own rules, and sometimes the rules change for night vs. day flying. 

A great visual aid to study is Rod Machado’s VFR triangle, check out his training programs! It can be particularly helpful if you’re a visual learner and would like to see the information rather than just reading it out of a textbook.

Example question: What is the minimum distance from clouds required in VFR flight at night in uncontrolled airspace at 9,500 feet msl?

6. Time En Route Calculations

Similar to density altitude calculations, time en route calculations can be done on an E6B flight computer. These questions are easy to miss if you aren’t careful with the many variables and conversions that go into solving the problem. 

Some questions will also intentionally include additional information that isn’t necessary to solve the problem. Don’t let this confuse you. If information doesn’t seem relevant to a question, it may have been added as a distraction.

Example question: How long will it take to travel 35 nautical miles at a ground speed of 105 knots?

7. Landing and Takeoff Distance Calculations

Questions about takeoff and landing distance will almost always be paired with a relevant performance graph. These graphs will look very similar to graphs found in your aircraft’s pilot operating handbook that are used for flight planning. You’ll need to know how to calculate and plot information on these charts accurately to understand how much space you actually need to land and takeoff.

As with other chart- and graph-based questions, overlooking information is a common mistake. There are usually prescribed conditions that are important for an accurate result.

Example question: What is the total distance required for takeoff? (A graph will be provided, and the question will offer details about weather and the aircraft.)

8. VOR Indications

Some VHF omnidirectional range (VOR)-related questions ask you to identify your position on a map based on the indication on the instrument. A great way to better understand these types of questions is to see the VOR in action, either in the airplane, or via simulation. 

You don’t need a full sim to practice using VORs, though. Download a desktop or mobile app, and change up the variables in a controlled environment.

Example question: When using a VOR test signal, if the course deviation indicator is centered, what should the to/from indicator display?

9. Stall Speed

If aerodynamics have your head spinning, you’re not alone. Questions about load factor, stall speed, and center of gravity can appear in the form of charts, graphs, and scenarios.

Visualizing how aerodynamic forces are working on an aircraft can be a powerful way to wrap your head around these types of problems. Courses like those offered by Angle of Attack provide visual examples and explanations of basic aerodynamic principles and more advanced concepts.

It’s helpful to get the same information in multiple ways to create a more well-rounded picture. If staring at the load factor chart just isn’t making it all come together, try watching some videos about wind tunnels, Bernoulli’s principle, and the critical angle of attack.

Example question: What happens to the stall speed of an aircraft when its weight increases?

10. Aircraft Systems and Flight Instruments

If you are taking the written exam before starting any kind of flight training, you might find instrument and system questions particularly challenging. They do become easier with time and experience, but when you’re brand new to flying, the information can be hard to grasp. 

Fly 8MA has a free introductory ground school course full of informative videos, some of which explain and show actual flight instruments and systems. Watching instruments and systems in action will help you understand how they function.

Example question: Which instruments would be affected if the static port became blocked?

Plan to Pass the Private Pilot Written Exam

The best way to prepare for this test is to set a date, ideally no more than two to four weeks after finishing ground school while the material is fresh in your mind. Once you’ve set that date, devote regular time to study and run through practice questions to make the certification process that much smoother, and your flying that much safer.

And keep in mind that regardless of whether you’ve already started flight training, going through an approved ground school will set you up for success— both in the airplane and on your PPL exams. 

FAQ

How much is a PPL written test?

The PPL written exam costs $175 for both first-time tests and retakes. If a passing score of at least 70 percent isn’t reached on the first try, it will cost $175 to retake it.

Is the PPL exam hard?

The written exam is challenging and requires a lot of study and preparation ahead of time. Still, if you take your studies seriously, you have a good chance of passing on the first try. The FAA reports a 90 percent pass rate on the PPL written exam.

Where can I take the FAA written exam?

To sign up to take the written exam, first create an account with FAA PSI Exams. Once your account is set up, you can select the exam type (the three-letter code for private pilot certification is PAR) and choose a testing location near you. Exam slots only open up to two weeks in advance, so it’s best to wait until you’re ready to take the exam before scheduling a time.

The post What Are the 10 Hardest FAA Private Pilot Written Exam Questions? appeared first on Plane & Pilot Magazine.

The same concepts we use in defensive driving apply to flight operations to help us mitigate risks of violations, incidents, or accidents. A little attention to flying defensively may convert those thoughts into mitigation of potential risks in our flight operations.

If you maintain constant situational awareness and utilize all available resources, that’s conducive to safe general aviation operations. Unlike commercial flights with robust support systems, GA pilots rely on their skills and instruments. Vigilance, monitoring traffic, and staying attuned to changing weather conditions contribute significantly to safety.

Avoiding Distractions During Flight Operations

A distracted pilot turns into one that misses critical checklist items, ATC communications, or loses situational awareness. Any of these lead a pilot down a path that could result in further complications—or worse. Keep interaction with passengers, other tasks you might want to perform during your flight, or even management of the resources used in the flight deck—such as an electronic flight bag (EFB) device—to periods where the workload is minimal and you don’t sacrifice attention necessary to complete more critical tasks.

Keeping distractions to a minimum is especially important during critical phases of flight. Setting up for an approach, taxiing at a busy airfield with complicated diagrams, during the actual takeoff and landing, or receiving an updated weather briefing in flight are a few examples of this.

The sooner you can ascertain a risk is present, the earlier you can make a defensive flying decision and avoid…undesired conditions.

Predicting Risk Ahead and Mitigating It Sooner

More than ever before in aviation, we have the ability to try to predict potential hazards and mitigate them at earlier points in our flight operations. A key example is having onboard weather information continuously feeding us updates. We can use it to look further ahead for weather along our route or see updated climate conditions for our destinations that might hint at our need to initiate an alternate plan if minimums are becoming a concern for us in IFR or VFR conditions. When you do this, you can make a decision hundreds of miles away instead of just getting 20 to 30 miles from your destination and being surprised by an AWOS/ASOS/ATIS broadcast that now shows the weather has degraded significantly. The sooner you can ascertain a risk is present, the earlier you can make a defensive flying decision and avoid proceeding into undesired conditions.

Traffic information systems in our panels—or fed to our EFB—help us predict other traffic that may be nearby through awareness of its position. Taking this into consideration, we can receive clues regarding other traffic sequencing to fly the same approach we plan or help us avoid encountering traffic conflicts that might otherwise result in aircraft coming too close together.

Communication and Coordination

ATC services are generally available to IFR and VFR flight operations throughout most of the country—so use them for most flights. Certainly, most pilots understand they are using ATC services when operating in IFR or VFR conditions while on an IFR flight plan, and they must talk to ATC within certain airspace, typically Class A, B, C, and D. But too few pilots leverage air traffic control when outside of these requirement areas, though its services are broadly available.

• READ MORE: Communicate Like a Pro Pilot

A short cross-country in Class E or G airspace might not require the use of ATC services, but a quick request for flight following along the route can help them communicate with you and potentially other aircraft—and perhaps help you avoid other aircraft sharing the frequency. With ADS-B and transponder service over much of the airspace, it is a good practice to fly with a second layer of protection, helping you enhance awareness of potential risks.

I have a few flight training operations at which I provide tests regularly that will get flight following from local ATC when pilots head out to a practice area to train or test. A training flight introduces the risk of the instructor and pilot becoming distracted from their overall situational awareness while briefing and conducting specific maneuvers. Having ATC communication established can give you the chance to be warned about traffic in the area or if another aircraft is flying into the same practice area. You can then adjust position and altitude or even discontinue a maneuver and reposition if the traffic is going to provide a conflict.

If you are operating near an airport, monitor the local CTAF frequency for an idea of what other traffic is doing, including aircraft flying in or out of that airport. This is especially true if you’ll be flying in the traffic pattern and practicing takeoffs or landings. A good habit is to listen to the local frequency about 10 miles out as you approach so as to have enough time to hear other aircraft sequencing into the pattern. You may fly a few miles to the side of the airport to delay your approach instead of having two aircraft enter the downwind at the same time.

• READ MORE: Pro Tips: Situational Awareness For Private Pilots

Listen while on the ground also. Many times I will be listening to the CTAF, or at a towered field, the ground and tower frequencies as I do a run-up, while waiting in sequence, or as I approach a runway for takeoff. This can help build a mental picture of who might be in the pattern, whether they are likely to be ahead or behind you, or if there are other factors that might cause you to avoid unnecessary communications at a particular time.

For example, I was flying recently and listening to the tower frequency while we were doing our run-up and on the ground-control frequency. While monitoring, I overheard that the tower had an inbound aircraft that was having a gear indicator malfunction and that they were going to “roll services” for the aircraft in case it was needed on the landing. It was a great tip for me to just hang tight for a minute in our run-up area and let the situation play out instead of getting on tower frequency and asking for a takeoff clearance with a potential emergency developing.

The good news was that the aircraft landed without incident, and we were only hanging out for a few extra minutes. By listening in proactively, we avoided adding extra radio communications to the mix and allowed ATC to effectively manage its challenges without extra distraction.

Defensive Flying and Safety Culture

Thinking proactively and defensively—and acting as such—is part of a personal safety culture. It is a mindset for our operations that serves to help us identify, avoid, and mitigate risks before they cause problems. It is also one that we can espouse and allow to serve as an example for other pilots.

This is especially relevant when we are trying to foster a safety-centric environment within flying clubs, flight training operations, corporate flight operations, or even just among peers. The goal is to encourage open discussions, share experiences, and learn from each other’s mistakes to collectively enhance safety standards. We can all share ways we can be more proactive and defensive in our flying activities.

Developing the ability to recognize potential risks and being adaptable in handling unforeseen situations are essential traits of a defensive general aviation pilot.

• READ MORE: Best Pilot Kneeboard Options in 2024

Embracing and implementing principles of defensive flying significantly contribute to mitigating the risks inherent to flight operations. It is part of a commitment to safety and a mindset that helps ensure each flight, regardless of scale, remains a secure and enjoyable experience for pilots, passengers, and those within the airspace. Each pilot who operates in this manner helps elevate the safety standards within the overall aviation community. Defensive flying in GA is a fusion of skills, adaptability, and a proactive approach to safety. 

The post Risk Mitigation Through Defensive Flying appeared first on Plane & Pilot Magazine.

“Know your limitations and don’t exceed them”

is common advice for aviators. That statement is all well and good, so far as it goes. It generally encourages you, as the pilot, to do a good job of preparing for each flight and keep up your stockpile of skills by regular training and practice. In doing so, you’ve made sure you’re not going to overstep your abilities. The problem is, there’s more than this one limitation involved in the average flight, beyond just the perils that can be met by our piloting ability. We need to consider the full range of hazards we’re facing, and that involves more than just assessing the pilot’s ability.

The pilot in command (PIC) of a flight certainly has to make sure that he or she’s not exceeding the capabilities they’re able to muster. Knowing when to say “no” is vital to survival, something we need to consider not just at the beginning of the flight, but throughout its progress. However, the aircraft has limitations of its own, ones established both by its design and practical performance. And the operating environment presents its own limitations on our activity, quite aside from the skills of the pilot and innate performance of the airplane.

All three sets of limitations will combine to affect the outcome of our flight. We may be the best pilot ever born, but we can’t force a tired Skyhawk to climb above its genuine absolute ceiling, undefined by any performance chart. And the finest example of a Cirrus SR22 is not going to want to lift a full load out of a backcountry strip on a warm afternoon with a density altitude reading five digits. Each of these three constraints—pilot, airplane, and environment—needs its own consideration to assure adequate safety.

There Are Pilots—Then There Are Pilots

We all like to think we have the right stuff, that we’re the proverbial “good stick” who can exercise every privilege on our certificate to the utmost perfection. On any given day, however, we can be just a little bit off our game. Remember that time you tried for a squeaker landing to impress the kids and you dropped it in with a thump? Face it, if this is your first real low-visibility takeoff into a low cloud deck in a year, you may be legal to do it, but should you?

Your piloting limitations are not a solid wall, but a fluid barrier that rises and falls with your recent experience, fatigue level, and even the amount of preparation. A hastily thrown-together trip into unfamiliar territory means raising your personal minimums for the departure. You should go only if the weather is as benign as forecast, good alternates exist, and you feel good about doing it.

There’s a country song by the late Toby Keith that goes, “I ain’t as good as I once was, but I’m as good once as I ever was.” That optimistic outlook doesn’t apply to pilots with rusty skills. Face it, you took that multiengine commercial check ride decades ago. Can you fly a zero-thrust, single-engine approach to minimums today? Probably not without some practice.

The point is, meeting the POH performance figures is a job for factory test pilots who fly every day. Establish your limitations based on needing half again or double those handbook numbers—plan to aim low and finish high. Always underpromise and overdeliver, not the other way around. You should never write checks with your mouth, or your thoughts, that your body can’t cover. Stay honest in your relationship with the airplane. You can get away with lying to other pilots, but don’t ever try lying to your aircraft about your abilities. That will come back to kill you.

• READ MORE: Pro Tips for Private Pilots: ADS-B, Are You ‘In’ or ‘Out’?

This Plane Has Always Before…

Every aircraft, even my 1946 Aeronca Champion, comes with a set of operating limitations. Beyond the ones printed on paper, there are also practical ones determined from experience. It doesn’t matter how good the pilot is, or how nice the old bird’s running, those limitations are still exactly that—limitations. Don’t ask the airplane to do more than it can. In most pilot-error accidents, the outcome was determined when the pilot made a decision to proceed outside the aircraft’s capabilities. Too many pilots have believed the brochure brag of a 700-mile range and have flight planned accordingly, to their eventual regret. Fuel is consumed in hours and minutes, not miles. Unfortunately, getting away with stretching the gas supply once or twice tends to tempt you into applying it as a matter of course.

Always ascertain which of the airplane’s bits and pieces of equipment are not available. Yes, you ought to be able to fly any procedure without the autopilot’s help, but if you’re faced with a three-hour trip in the clouds, single pilot, do you really want to do that? Sure, you might be good enough to fly an ILS down to 200 feet above the touchdown zone, but if the airplane’s glideslope needle is flagged, you’re going have to miss at the localizer-only minimums. Your superior skills aren’t the limitation; the airplane’s capability is. Be ready to work with what you have left, and that means respecting new limitations.

I have one airplane in my hangar that can only carry 500 pounds of payload with the fuel tanks topped off—that’s it, if I’m going to respect the max-takeoff-weight limit, and I will. I know better than to ask that airplane to do more than it can. We often have to work within the limitations of the aircraft we’re flying. Piloting skills have nothing to do with it. Let’s be real, part of that “pilot stuff” is making the right decision to not exceed the limitations of the equipment, whether it’s because of the engine, airframe, radios, or endurance.

This means knowing what is and isn’t possible with a given airplane’s published limitations. I once had to do a photo shoot from a Piper Cherokee Six with its rear door removed, which is allowable and safe. But then the customer wanted some shots from the other side, and he asked if we could remove the front door and shoot out that opening. No, I said, that’s not permitted by the aircraft operating limitations, and it would be an experiment I wasn’t about to conduct.

Today Is Not The Day

The operating environment often generates additional limitations over and above those of the pilot and airplane. On a recent morning, I was scheduled to test-hop an experimental plane to check rigging, a simple task well within both my own and the aircraft’s limitations. But the reported ceiling was only 400 feet at the appointed hour. So, despite the readiness of the pilot and airplane, the flight was delayed until VMC prevailed.

I often abort a flight in the old Champ for wind reasons. I’ll fly in crosswinds up to 10 mph, but no more, because I know the aged mechanical brakes aren’t able to prevent weathervaning above that figure. Taildraggers boasting more weight, better brakes, and a locking tailwheel may have higher wind limitations, but every day is different, and its conditions must be evaluated, quite aside from the pilot’s and airplane’s own limitations.

For flight in icing conditions, which should actually be called “flight avoiding icing conditions,” we need an airplane equipped for the task and a pilot who’s skilled in its use. It’s not just working boots or TKS that gives us the capability to deal with icing. It’s also important to have a fast climb rate to quickly reach nonicing airspace above the icing layer. In the absence of such performance, we’ll consider the environment to be unsuitable for flying that day.

Even the best airplane, flown by the best pilot, cannot overcome the limitations imposed by extreme operating environments. Thunderstorms, wind shear, severe icing, thick fog, strong crosswinds, and density altitude producing a negative climb rate are all factors that absolutely must be considered in the context of our ability to fly.

We have some wonderful airplanes in the marketplace, outfitted with some truly amazing avionics suites and supported by a great ground-based ATC system. Purchasers of some of those million-dollar singles have been told they can go anytime, anywhere. Not so. There are still times when the limitations of the operating environment prevail.

On Deciding

Aeronautical decision-making, or ADM, is a fashionable buzz phrase that is, in reality, as old as flight itself. Deciding to begin or continue an act of aviation requires consideration of every limitation we’re about to approach. Sometimes our total package of limitations is unbalanced by the aircraft itself, and sometimes it’s the environmental conditions of the day. And sometimes we’re just not feeling up to it. Never let someone else’s decision to fly become your own. Respect all of the limitations.

Editor’s Note: This story originally appeared in the MARCH 2024 issue of Plane & Pilot magazine.

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As experts in the field have determined, the tongue-tied feeling that occurs at the press of a push-to-talk switch can be primarily attributed to a lack of experience on the radio and venturing into the world of ATC prematurely and unprepared.

That’s where ATC simulations, such as those from PilotEdge, VATSIM, and others, create a virtual world that allows users to practice their communication talents long before they take off. These simulations provide a safe environment for pilots to learn and improve their communication skills, ensuring a higher level of safety in real-world flights.

The only thing you need to hone your radio communication skills using an ATC simulation is a flight simulator program, such as Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020, Prepare3D, X-Plane 11 and 12, plus others, or those hardware-based simulators, such as Redbird, that utilize one of the aforementioned programs. 

Pilots who want the most realistic ATC simulation available will likely look to the subscription services of PilotEdge, created by CEO Keith Smith over 11 years ago, instead of the hobbyist services available.  

While any of the current ATC simulators will provide some level of benefit, Kevin Meyers, director of special events and marketing at PilotEdge, emphasizes that “those with current ATC and former military controllers staffing the ranks, such as PilotEdge, will provide you with a replication that mimics life in the real world of ATC, getting you ready and prepared as you take flight.” 

In addition, using an ATC simulation will allow you to practice your communication within various types of airspace—everything from traversing VFR uncontrolled airports to making the journey to and through Class Bravo airspace and beyond. And with the realism of the ATC world that goes far beyond the old text-based and voice-recognition days of past ATC simulations, you will be so immersed in the ATC ecosystem that you may forget that it’s a simulation.  

The cost of admission to a real-world ATC simulation subscription with PilotEdge is a little more than 50 cents per day. VATSIM and others are viable options for those who are not pilots or want to experience ATC simulation as a hobby without spending any monthly cash, but either alternative is better than none. 

And don’t think these simulations are a game—far from it. In fact, if you have a pilot deviation while you’re flying the sim using PilotEdge, you might receive the dreaded warning that Captain Jack Brasher got on his commercial carrier flight on August 13, 1985, long before his last name became synonymous with the warning that no pilot ever wants to hear.

• READ MORE: Say Again?

To be clear, the PilotEdge version of the Brasher warning is not shared with anyone except the operations team to improve the realism of the simulation and determine if tweaks need to be made to the software. It simply adds to the overall realism of your ATC simulation.

Speaking of realism, are you planning on flying into Oshkosh for EAA AirVenture in July? How would you like to be able to practice the approaches into Wittman Regional Airport before your actual flight, where KOSH is the busiest airspace in the world for that period of time? 

With PilotEdge’s unique simulation, you can do just that. Annually, from about two weeks before AirVenture begins, the company rolls out SimVenture. Meyers said it “is the only way and best way to prepare to fly into AirVenture.” 

So, dust off your headset, strap into your simulator, and take to the virtual skies to improve your ATC communication and learn how to talk with controllers just like the pros.

Editor’s Note: This story originally appeared as part of a longer piece in the JULY/AUGUST 2024 issue of Plane & Pilot magazine.

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For years, my older sisters and I looked forward to the annual autumn apple-picking trek. Spending warm days in the orchards using long picking poles to pluck only the best apples, competing to find the biggest ones, felt a bit like living in a postcard. A little later in the season, during the peak of fall foliage, that made-to-order impression grew even stronger, though our parents tended to avoid the area during that period. Too crowded, they would say.

Poughkeepsie, a classic college town on the east side of the Hudson River, is a hub of activity and a great headquarters for year-round valley vacation activities from snow sports in winter to hiking, biking, and fishing in spring and summer. Just following the winding country roads to surrounding towns makes for memorable scenic tours. My family made numerous stops here over the years for weekend getaways and when my sisters and I began visiting colleges. While the trips elicit fond memories, the downside—as you might have guessed or perhaps experienced yourself—lies in getting there.

Our chosen destinations always involved long, droning stretches on the Garden State Parkway, New York State Thruway, Interstate 84, or older state highways where the miles never passed quickly enough. Sometimes I would look up from the back seat of the car and spot Cessnas, Pipers, and Beechcraft traveling in roughly the same direction. Knowing that Poughkeepsie possessed an airport, I imagined these airplanes heading there and wondered how much sooner they might arrive.

Getting There

Fast-forward about 40 years to a trip that finally answered my question. I was flying a Cessna 172 with my instructor on my way to Hudson Valley Regional Airport (KPOU), a Class D field that pilots simply call Poughkeepsie. The time had arrived to perform the landings at a towered airport required for my private pilot certificate. Flying to Poughkeepsie from my home airport in Sussex, New Jersey (KFWN), confirmed the obvious, that even “slow” airplanes like the 172 are significantly faster than cars. The flight took less than 30 minutes, or about a third of the time required to drive.

Last summer I drove about two hours to drop off our son at a camp in Poughkeepsie. When it was time to pick him up, my wife and I flew our Commander 114B from Essex County Airport (KCDW), which is close to our home, to KPOU in 20 minutes. The flight seemed even shorter because we were able to spot our destination soon after slipping out from under the New York Class B that covers KCDW. Realistically speaking, the airplane turns a day trip into a jaunt and gives travelers more time to spend in this cool town.

• READ MORE: Old Aviator Tales

The Airport

Like many fields of a certain age, KPOU began as part of the airmail network developed during aviation’s golden age. In the run-up to World War II, it also served as a training base for the U.S. Army Air Forces and cadets at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, just down the river.

Postwar, as passenger service blossomed, Poughkeepsie’s location roughly halfway between New York City and Albany (KALB) helped establish it as a regular stop on routes between Washington, D.C., and Canadian cities, including Montreal and Ottawa. During the 1940s and ’50s, Colonial Airlines, which flew Douglas DC-3s and DC-4s, conducted multileg flights covering territory from Ottawa to Bermuda.

From the mid-’60s through the late ’80s, commuter airline Command Airways operated a hub at KPOU with service to more than a dozen destinations from Manassas, Virginia (KHEF), to Burlington, Vermont, and including several stops in New York, ranging from John F. Kennedy International (KJFK) to Ithaca (KITH) and Binghamton (KBGM). As larger airlines began rapidly acquiring smaller carriers, they cut many destinations from their schedules. Today there are no airlines operating from Poughkeepsie, but the GA community is vibrant and welcoming.

Things to Do

The FBO, Flight Level Aviation, can help you arrange a rental car for the drive into town or beyond. On short visits we have borrowed the airport crew car to dash in for a quick meal or other errand. Taxis and rideshares are available as well. Next time I visit, I might bring my folding bike that fits neatly into the Commander’s baggage compartment. How you choose to get around will depend on how much ground you want to cover. Once in town, there is enough going on within walking distance to keep most folks busy. Poughkeepsie is also tantalizingly close to other hot spots like Kingston, New Paltz, and Rhinebeck, all within short drives.

Flying stokes my appetite, so when I arrive, I like to stop for breakfast, lunch, or coffee at one of the area’s many fun, family-run eateries such as the Poughkeepsie Grind, for breakfast and coffee, or Rossi’s, which turns out fantastic focaccia, sandwiches, and other traditional Italian fare. The range of cafes and restaurants reflects the variety you might expect in an area with so many colleges nearby. Vassar College, Marist College, and Duchess Community College are right in town, and it often helps to note where the students are eating. They will point you to the best spots.

Poughkeepsie is home to numerous art galleries, shops, and interesting boutiques. It is a good place to walk and explore neighborhoods with a range of personalities. Once again, the proliferation of schools gives the place an encouraging, youthful vibe.
When our sons were younger, this town and the surrounding area was ideal for introducing them to the notion of going to college someday, long before they grew interested in any particular school. Today our younger son has his eyes on Vassar after visiting last summer. I have noticed an uptick in his work ethic lately.

The area’s campuses are full of attractions, including galleries, tours, and sporting events. We had an architectural field day the first time we walked through the Vassar campus. It boasts a beautiful collection of Edwardian- and Victorian-style academic buildings and residence halls inside a perimeter of colonial faculty offices and homes. Then visitors come across something unexpected: Noyes Hall, a curved, stylish mid-20th century dormitory designed by Eero Saarinen. It is the kind of sight that makes you want to apply to college again.

Another must-see for those interested in history, architecture, and home decor is Locust Grove, former estate of Samuel Morse, who invented the telegraph and developed Morse Code. The 45-room home was built in 1852 on expansive grounds with views of the Hudson River. The particularly well-preserved house provides visitors with a distinct sense of well-to-do Northeast lifestyles of the 1800s. Guided tours are available.

In the interest of walking off that big meal, you can head for the Walkway Over the Hudson, one of Poughkeepsie’s truly unique attractions. The former railroad bridge stretches across the river to the town of Highland on the west bank. The span is breathtakingly high and surprisingly long—about 3 miles across and back. On previous visits, I have noticed many people if not most trekking only as far as the halfway point, which is where you get the best view. The walk is good exercise and a great experience.

While flying might make it possible to turn Poughkeepsie into an easier day trip, I would rather spend the night there and fly home the next day, or the day after. With the amazingly wide range of accommodations available, from a straightforward high-rise DoubleTree by Hilton to the Dome House Retreat in nearby New Paltz, there is something for everyone.

Editor’s Note: This story originally appeared in the MARCH 2024 issue of Plane & Pilot magazine.

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I never was fond of the idea of the flagship “new” sim of August 2020 featuring an airplane that looked and felt like a car and was even simpler than a car on the inside. I guess I felt it was too “toy-like,” whatever that means, as we all use that term more often than not. Now that I was inspired by seeing one, I had to use it as a prop for my article, which not coincidentally corresponds with the latest sim update that was released by Microsoft the week of January 25, featuring newly enhanced Caribbean and Atlantica sceneries.

The ICON A5 has been around a while but certainly looks futuristic. Perhaps tainted by a well-known fatal accident being caused by a former sports star, MLB pitcher Roy Halladay, doing stunts on a lake and getting himself killed in 2017, this aircraft sits in my brain as something that is, once again, not the best choice for “flying doctors, or ultra-rich sports personalities with more money than brains.” Yet it looks like a playful, fun, fast, and wild ride.

I took the ICON out for a tour in the newly enhanced default Bahamas and Caribbean scenery regions. This area was recently retouched with more graphical accuracy and visual quality of objects, landmarks, and more, bringing the entire Atlantic tropical areas up to the level of quality of most other locations worldwide. I started at Nassau International Airport (MYNN) at the GA ramp I have frequented many times in the jet I fly. But almost immediately after the speedy takeoff, I got the gear up and lowered the water rudder (a key command) for water landing. I plunked down near the lighthouse to begin my tour.

After the fun touchdown with splash sounds and wake effects, I was eager to use the amphibious vehicle option. I lowered the gear and made my way to the shore, slowly climbing up on the thick sand, with tons of power to keep moving. I was so loud—this really is not a way to sneak onto a beach! I was able to rove around by the lighthouse and have a lot of fun, being careful not to be reckless or a hazard to anyone out there. Once I had enough fun, I took back into the water.

Now, it was off to get close to a resort I know well. After some 20 years flying jets in a Part 135 business, I have spent many long weekends at the Atlantis Paradise Island Bahmas Resort. The newly updated visual quality was stunningly accurate. Passing over the resort at high speed was exhilarating, and low speed was satisfyingly epic as well, taking in all the areas I walked, jogged, and swam on many layovers as a 135 captain.

I was able to land in the shallow riverways, motor around, and not get stuck too badly. Sometimes the scenery objects can create some type of invisible box, where you may get stuck and unable to proceed. But for the most part, I could move about without issues, taking in the sights and scenes I have been exposed to so many times. This really is a tiny airplane, as I could squeeze in between the landscaping, palm trees, and bushes without too many problems.

Being able to visit real-life locations that I have often been to before or planned in the future is one of the greatest benefits of having a flight sim. It’s so easy now with the high-fidelity, worldwide photorealistic scenery that Asobo Studio has provided with its continual updates to the sim since release in 2020. Areas that were slightly lacking in definition, although still recognizable, are now really popping with details due to the service update released in January. Continuing onward to explore the area from a few hundred feet, I wanted to see the container port and cruise terminals from the air.

Before ever going to Atlantis, myself and other flight crew stayed at the British Colonial Hilton in downtown Nassau. A little small beach and pool area provided some great cruise ship gazing as they would turn 180 degrees slowly around to either back in or out of the slip. I was in awe watching such big machines do their thing. If unable to watch a Boeing 747 or jumbo jet up close, I’m more than happy to watch huge cruise ships in action.

Having spent many times walking the yacht district at Atlantis, I really enjoyed landing there and motoring around.

Having spent many times walking the yacht district at Atlantis, I really enjoyed landing there and motoring around. Everything seemed perfectly to scale and size. It’s equally beautiful at night with many yachts and slips being illuminated below the water line and colorful beams of mood lighting. Too many photo ops to fit into only a couple of pages.

I can only think of the Harrison Ford movie, Six Days, Seven Nights, when seeing the Beaver. I know Ford owns one, and maybe he’s a reader of Plane & Pilot too! If so, this part is dedicated to him. The default Beaver is a joy to fly, with the funny overhead throttles and prop controls. It’s pretty powerful and has a lot more umph than I was expecting, with a good climb rate and a fast cruise at over 130 mph. Unique sound effects like the pump flaps, panel rattling, and more are provided.

The sound of radials winding up, popping, belching, and smoking is all included in this MSFS version of the Grumman Goose with fabulously rendered graphics to boot. Now I’ll confess I know nothing about this airplane other than my late dad always wanted one, and he had built a plastic model when I was a kid. With 747s on the brain, I never showed an interest in such relics, as did he, until reaching his age. I hate the expressions “real airplane” or “real pilot’s plane,” but that kind of seems fitting with this big and heavy machine of both land and sea.

This is another amphibious vehicle that can pretty much go anywhere. Designed for docks primarily, I didn’t try to take the big flying boat on and off the beaches but certainly had fun with runway takeoffs at Cyril E. King Airport (TIST), followed by immediate landings in the harbor, where I have been in real life and seen many float operations come and go. They use a variety of aircraft like de Havilland Turbo Beavers or Twin Otters on floats to dive over the hills.

• READ MORE: Flight Simulators: Valuable Teaching Tools For Pilots

There are just too many options with a huge variety of general aviation equipment now part of MSFS2020. Since I am one of those jack-of-all-trades and expert of none types when it comes to all these aircraft available, I have to assume the flight models are pretty good. Asobo Studio is doing a lot for all the default GA aircraft to bring them up to snuff, and third-party developers are really upping the ante. When purchasing an add-on aircraft at websites like Big Radials or A2A Simulations, you’ll be getting the best.

In some cases, you must maintain, treat well, and perform regular maintenance on the aircraft, keeping the harmony between plane and pilot alive in your virtual flying world. Enjoy the realism!

Editor’s Note: This story originally appeared in the MARCH 2024 issue of Plane & Pilot magazine.

The post Piloting Fantasy Island appeared first on Plane & Pilot Magazine.

However, unless general aviation pilots decided to go a step further and equip their aircraft for ADS-B In, their flight deck situational awareness was little improved.
My epiphany on this subject of ADS-B occurred a couple of years earlier. I had flown our university fleet equipped with ADS-B In since 2003, but my pocketbook dictated the lower-cost Out option for our personal ride. Then, my attitude changed. Climbing east out of Montgomery-Gibbs Executive Airport (KMYF) in downtown San Diego, I switched from tower frequency to approach control and immediately heard the collision alarm ringing in the background.

Bringing my eyes smartly up from the BendixKing KX-155 radio face, I was greeted by the sight of a Cessna twin in my windshield. We were offset slightly, and each banked hard away from the other, but the passage was close enough to read the N-number without much difficulty.

For those unfamiliar with this particular patch of airspace, traffic heading both east and west encounters a shallow band of uncontrolled airspace between the top of the Gillespie Field (KSEE) 2,400-foot Class D airspace, located a few miles west of Montgomery-Gibbs, and the 4,800-foot floor of the San Diego Class B. Nearly all traffic in this little piece of sky is either climbing or descending, so cardinal altitudes are not much help. I had a long time to think about that close call on the two-hour flight back to Prescott, Arizona, and decided right then and there that we would find the extra bucks to go for the whole enchilada, ADS-B In. I have not regretted that decision.

• READ MORE: A Short Flight Home Takes A Heart-Stopping Detour

ADS-B In, Out, or Both?

When I decided to break the piggy bank and install ADS-B In, the cost was fairly significant. And with an FAA mandate approaching, discounts were hard to come by. Today, the opportunities for ADS-B In and Out installations are much more affordable. Additionally, portable ADS-B In solutions are available that data link to your iPad. However, not all ADS-B systems are created equally.

Above 18,000 feet, and generally around the world at all altitudes, 1090 MHz ES (extended squitter) rules the roost. However, in the U.S., below Class A airspace, 978 MHz UAT (universal access transceiver) is preferred. Most transponders have both, but some portables may, or may not. UAT allows the ADS-B In user to obtain flight information services (FIS-B) for weather and useful flight information, and traffic information services (TIS-B). TIS-B provides non-ADS-B radar target information from local ATC radars through the ADS-B ground stations.

The moral of this story is that it is up to each pilot to fully understand what information and protections their particular ADS-B In system provides.

‘O Canada’

Once across our northern border, the FIS-B and TIS-B services provided by the U.S. 978 MHz UAT are no longer available. And while the FAA remains committed to its ground-based system, Nav Canada is rapidly converting to satellite-based ADS-B. Pilots flying in Canadian Class A airspace after August 10, 2023, are required to have antenna diversity. This is a fancy term for an additional antenna on top of the airplane.

The satellite-based ADS-B mandate extends to Class B airspace in May 2024, and likely to the rest of Class C, D, and E airspace in the 2026 to 2028 time frame. Some lower-cost ADS-B Out solutions already meet that requirement, especially those mounted on wing and tail beacon sockets. However, many legacy ADS-B In solutions will require an additional antenna, and some systems may not support antenna diversity at all. All good things to know if you are flying north to enjoy the amazing Canadian hospitality.

ADS-B Under VFR

For the record, in the VFR environment, the “Mark One Eyeball” mode is still king. However, in this see-and-avoid environment, ADS-B really shines. GA aircraft are pretty hard to see more than a couple miles away. If the lighting and contrast are just right, our little planes might be visible from 4 to 5 miles away, but that is the exception to the rule.

Once the sun sets, visibility is much better, especially on clear nights with landing, strobe, and position lights on. However, at night long-range depth perception can be a problem. A 10-mile distant target can appear close, and vice versa. Day or night, ADS-B In makes it easier to correlate the range to the target and find the perfect quiet spot in the practice area, 15 miles ahead. However, ADS-B In is only a tool, and a thorough visual scan is critical. Outside of controlled airspace, some aircraft have ADS-B In, some ADS-B Out, and some have nothing at all. So, relying on the ADS-B traffic display to separate us 100 percent of the time is unwise.

ADS-B is also very useful when approaching a nontowered or Class D airport. Ten miles out, ADS-B In is a great planning tool to identify who is in the pattern, who is approaching the airport, and where we might sequence in. Once we get closer, the transition to visual separation and reliance on the aural warnings provided by the ADS-B In system become the better option.

ADS-B Under IFR

ADS-B presents your aircraft differently on the radar controller’s scope. Traditionally, radar targets update every six seconds for approach control and every 12 seconds for an en route display. ADS-B targets update every second, so controllers see them move smoothly across the screen. In the en route environment, this allows radar controllers to reduce separation from 5 nm to 3 nm. On the other hand, with ADS-B In targets fed into our flight deck display, it can be mighty tempting to “help out” the air traffic controller.

Resist this temptation to assist by quietly changing speed or direction. Self-separation is not allowed in the IFR environment. However, if a pilot sees that they are losing separation with other traffic, or that a change in their clearance might help smooth out the traffic flow, the controller will welcome the call, issue updated instructions, or explain why not.

All Towers Are Not Equal

Federal ATC towers are most often equipped with the same ADS-B, and primary and secondary radar found in the approach control. However, some FAA contract towers are not, so following their instructions to the letter, keeping your eyes out the window, and monitoring the ADS-B In display is a great backup to ensure safe separation.

“What we’ve got here is a failure to communicate.”—Cool Hand Luke

Gone are the days of “Tally Ho,” climb to “Angels 15,” and, even more recently, “Taxi into position and hold.” These “Battle of Britain” holdovers sound great but did not make it into the pilot/controller glossary. However, when we hear pilots identify traffic on ADS-B, it often sounds like, “got it on the fish finder,” “gadget,” or “gizmo.”

Maybe we should just call it what it is, ADS-B, and remember that “visual contact” is still the gold standard.

The Leap from Out to In

Four years after the ADS-B mandate, the options for both ADS-B In and Out are plentiful, and we are all still finding ways to use it. ATC has embraced the technology, and the pilots flying in the system are pleased with the increased situational awareness and safety provided. The leap from ADS-B Out to ADS-B In is particularly startling. Every pilot I have interviewed has been amazed at just how much traffic they had been missing. Maybe that has been your experience as well.

Fly safe and keep a sharp eye out for traffic!

Editor’s Note: This story originally appeared in the JAN/FEB 2024 issue of Plane & Pilot magazine.

The post Pro Tips for Private Pilots: ADS-B, Are You ‘In’ or ‘Out’? appeared first on Plane & Pilot Magazine.

This was back in 1996. A recently released National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) report puts a modern twist on pilots showing off. It turns out we don’t need Mom, Dad, or a Tomcat jet fighter to bend our safety sense. We don’t even have to do anything that feels extreme.

It was May 17, 2021. The weather in Michigan was good. Summer felt close. A 23-year-old pilot departed the Clare Municipal Airport (48D) in a Cessna 182, flying low and slow for two hours. He had a passion for aviation, already logging more than 600 hours aloft. The week before he had obtained his commercial multiengine rating, taking another step closer to his goal of becoming an airline pilot. He landed at the Romeo State Airport (D98) in Ray Center, purchased fuel, and departed from there at noon. An hour later, cruising at 500 feet, suddenly, with no warning and no radio call, the Cessna crashed into a dirt field.

He was flying pipeline patrol. This is a big business. There are loads of commercial pilots in high-wing planes flying above oil and gas pipelines. They are looking for leaks (apparently you can see changes in the vegetation around the leak) and right-of-way encroachments (such as construction activity, trees, or repetitive riding of ATVs causing erosion). Sometimes they fly with an observer, sometimes solo. On this day, the accident pilot was alone in his employer’s 182.

The 1965 Cessna 182H with a 230 hp engine had been flying for the pipeline patrol company for years. NTSB postaccident examination of the wreckage “did not reveal any evidence of a mechanical malfunction or failure that would have prevented normal operation of the airplane.” Likewise, autopsy results showed no medical issues for the deceased pilot. And the accident wasn’t tied to a metrological event. Ten miles away, the official observation was 74 degrees, scattered clouds at 5,500 feet, visibility 10 miles, wind 210 degrees at 5 knots. But the reason for the crash was obvious. It was even marked on the sectional chart.

Close to the field with the main wreckage was a 1,049-foot-high radio tower. The left wing and left cabin door were found by the tower’s base. The NTSB determined the probable cause for the accident to be “the pilot’s failure to maintain adequate visual lookout to ensure clearance from the radio tower and its guy wires.” Radar data shows the Cessna maintaining about 450 to 500 feet above ground level tracking the pipeline northwest. He had been maintaining the normal position, to the right of the pipeline. That’s standard operating procedure for airplanes and helicopters following roads or pipelines. Then he turned a little left, coming out of position and crossing over the pipeline. He wasn’t where he should have been. This was the side with the radio tower.

He saw it too late. The Cessna suddenly pitched up, climbing at 1,500 fpm. But it still collided with a tower support guy wire. The left wing separated from the fuselage at the wing root, falling almost straight down. The rest of the plane impacted in a field, a third of a mile from the tower.

That’s the “how” of the plane crash. But why did the pilot come off track? Why didn’t he see the tower earlier?

After the accident, the NTSB found that “it is likely the pilot was distracted while he used his mobile device in the minutes before the accident and did not maintain an adequate visual lookout.” Managing distractions is an airmanship task, requiring taking charge of our attention. And, down low, attention must be outside the cockpit. The mobile device the NTSB referenced was a smartphone, and this pilot wasn’t just texting or snapping photos, he had an audience. He was posting videos on Snapchat.

• READ MORE: Handheld Avionics

For those who don’t know, Snapchat is a social media messaging, photo, and video sharing platform popular with younger generations. Its defining feature is immediacy. Content is only available for a short time before becoming inaccessible, and after 24 hours it’s automatically erased. Several people were watching the pilot live on Snapchat. They were following his progress on the app’s map. Shortly before the accident, a video reportedly depicted the terrain ahead of the airplane’s position, including wind turbines and cornfields.

By the time the NTSB investigator in charge found out about the Snapchats, the platform had already deleted the footage. The agency was able to obtain screenshots of the Snapchat map, showing the pilot’s position as a jaunty, red biplane, and interviewed two people who had been watching online.

The last post was likely sent 35 seconds before the accident. He was 1.5 miles southeast of the tower, heading right toward it. If you’re playing with your phone, you’re not flying the plane. The NTSB concluded that “contributing to the accident was the pilot’s unnecessary use of his mobile device during the flight, which diminished his attention/monitoring of the airplane’s flight path.” He was too busy showing off.

Airline pilots impose a “sterile cockpit” below 10,000 feet, where phones are put away, and they don’t even talk about anything other than the flight. My glider club bans GoPros in the cockpit for the first month of the season. Professional YouTube pilots have assistants and set up multiple cameras that need no attention in flight.

Hollywood pilots extensively plan film shots and use professional aerial videographers.

After that F-14 crash, an NTSB investigator told me: “The most dangerous thing for an airplane is a camera.” Maybe pilots trying to be social media influencers should ponder this question—who is their camera really influencing? 

The post After the Accident: It’s Not Worth Showing Off appeared first on Plane & Pilot Magazine.

Whenever student pilots interact with controllers rather than fellow apprentices in the break room, there’s going to be much less forgiveness when mistakes are made. Learners are expected to absorb rapid-fire instructions, acknowledge everything verbatim, and comply without question–all with limited capacity and familiarity. It’s no wonder errors take place in such a situation.

Some ground-based role-playing is expected to prepare students for Class D operations, subsequently accompanied by actual immersion. Fortunate indeed are the learners who start out flying at a tower-controlled airport, from hour-one, with a CFI at their elbow to run interference until they get it right. Even so, there will be plenty of opportunities for unforeseen out-of-the-ordinary circumstances to come up, leaving them unprepared.

At greater disadvantage is the learner who has matriculated at an uncontrolled field, now tasked with having to enter the world of ATC. Suddenly, strange new terms are emanating from the headset, each one fraught with a paralyzing fear of descending wrath from above if misunderstood. Again, there will invariably be changing situations that require adaptive instructions, containing terms not covered in schooling. 

One contributor to learners’ mistakes is “expectation bias.” Inexperienced pilots expect to hear the usual taxi instructions, such as a simple “cleared for takeoff, left turn approved” when reporting ready to go and a welcoming “cleared to land” as they announce their arrival. It can’t always happen, and an offbeat clearance can be misunderstood or even disregarded in favor of what was expected.

• READ MORE: The Wisdom of Flying Tight Traffic Patterns

It’s also easy to read back instructions and acknowledge with one’s N-number yet not fully register the clearance cerebrally. In the rush to comply, a parroted reply can register wrongly. “Turn right zero-five-zero, maintain at or below two-thousand-five-hundred, contact departure on one-two-five-seven-seven” becomes a left turn to two-five-zero, and the ensuing straightening-out results in a busted altitude restriction. 

The simplest ATC requests sound confusing when you haven’t heard them before. “You’re number three, extend your downwind, I’ll call your base” leaves a learner wondering how to fly the approach. Staying on the downwind course leads to lost altitude unless adequate power is maintained, and they have to stay aware of the fluid traffic situation. The number-one aircraft is probably at the runway by now, and number two is turning final. If you report airplane-two “in sight” with “November such-and-such has the traffic,” you’ll hear “maintain separation with that traffic.” Turn in behind it and keep a matching speed, and you can receive your “cleared to land” as soon as it’s turning off the runway. 

“Make a right 360 for spacing” confuses a learner on a left-downwind expecting a “cleared to land.” Once acknowledged, you should make a crisp medium-bank circle away from the field that brings the plane back onto the downwind after a minute or so, not a wandering creeping orbit covering half the county. 

Tower controllers want to plan for after-landing movement of the airplanes under their control and will bark a “where are you parking?” while the learner is rolling out. Expect this, and have a reply ready like “Mom and Pop’s Aviation” so the controller will know whether you’re exiting left or right, and then be prepared for “exit at Delta Three, contact ground point-nine when clear” or “remain this frequency, taxi via Delta, Echo, Foxtrot.” 

The important rule for student pilots, or anyone struggling to comprehend, is to let the controller know if you don’t understand the instructions. Better to seek clarification than proceed blindly, bollixing up the traffic flow. Some airports’ local procedures are different than what you’re used to at home; if you don’t understand, say so. Never, ever surprise a controller; do what’s expected, and all will be well.

The post Working With ATC appeared first on Plane & Pilot Magazine.

Updated categories include: 

• Airline Transport Pilot and Type Rating for Airplane: ACS-11A
• Aircraft Dispatcher PTS: 8081-10E
• Commercial Pilot, Airplane: ACS-7B
• Commercial Pilot, Rotorcraft Helicopter: ACS-16
• Flight Instructor, Airplane: ACS-25
• Flight Instructor, Instrument Airplane and Helicopter PTS: 8081-9E
• Flight Instructor, Rotorcraft Helicopter: ACS-29
• Instrument Rating, Airplane: ACS-8C
• Instrument Rating, Helicopter: ACS-14
• Private Pilot, Airplane: ACS-6C
• Private Pilot, Rotorcraft Category Helicopter: ACS-15

The individual documents are linked above to the FAA site for ease of reference. There are updates for the ATP type rating for powered lift, and the powered lift instrument, private, commercial, and instructor ratings. There is also an updated ACS Companion Guide for Pilots. 

The post New ACS for Nearly Every Pilot Category in Effect May 31 appeared first on Plane & Pilot Magazine.