More Aerobatic Videos

I’ve posted several new videos on my YouTube channel. I shot these videos during practice flights last week before the Extra 300L went in for its annual inspection. As soon as it emerges from the shop and the weather cooperates, I’ll fly it north to Seattle for the summer.

As the descriptions note, these videos show typical aerobatic practice sessions, sequences of maneuvers designed to sharpen my skills and build G-tolerance the summer flying season approaches. Keen observers will note many flaws, but that’s why we practice.

You may also notice how important it is to look around–not just stare straight ahead–during most maneuvers. Checking the wingtips, looking back toward the tail, etc. all help you maintain orientation during maneuvers and fly more precisely. Learning where to look when is a key part of aerobatic training. In some videos, I adjusted the GoPro on my head to show a bit more of the instrument panel, although as I often explain, except for a couple of checks of the gauges at the beginning of and between maneuvers, flying aerobatics well depends on keeping your eyes outside the cockpit.

Here’s one video to get you started.

Video: Introduction to Incipient Spins/URT/Basic Aerobatics

I shot new video last week during a visit to Boulder City, NV (KBVU). I connected with a friend from long-ago FlightSafety days who now flies corporate jets, and I gave her an intro to aerobatics in the Extra 300L. I included a new camera angle shot with another GoPro.

This video shows a typical aerobatic intro flight, with an emphasis on stalls, spins, and unusual attitude recognition and recovery. The front-seat pilot is an experienced corporate jet pilot. As you’ll see, I introduce stalls, basic aerobatics such as aileron rolls and loops, and recoveries from incipient spins induced from yawing and slipping stalls. You can find additional videos about stalls, spins, and unusual attitude recoveries elsewhere on my YouTube channel.

Giving Introductory Aerobatic Rides

I wrote the lead story, “Your Toughest Judges,” for the April 2013 issue of Sport Aerobatics, the monthly magazine of the International Aerobatic Club (IAC). You can download the free PDF version of the magazine here. The feature includes several in-flight photos of my Extra 300L and my happy customers.

FAA To Publish New Rules about Personal Electronic Devices

From the NY Times, here’s a story about the FAA’s plans to update regulations governing the use of personal electronic devices on airliners. Excerpt:

According to people who work with an industry working group that the Federal Aviation Administration set up last year to study the use of portable electronics on planes, the agency hopes to announce by the end of this year that it will relax the rules for reading devices during takeoff and landing. The change would not include cellphones…

Last year, the agency announced that an industry working group would study the issue. The group, which first met in January, comprises people from various industries, including Amazon, the Consumer Electronics Association, Boeing, the Association of Flight Attendants, the Federal Communications Commission and aircraft makers. The group plans to introduce its findings by July 31.

Resources for Pilots after Tower Closures

The FAA has released the list of contract towers that will close in April. At many of those airports, the control towers operated part-time, and most pilots regularly use airports that do not have control towers, so the shift back to flying at an “uncontrolled” airport is not as great as some media reports make it seem.

Still, it may be useful to review the standard operating procedures at non-towered airports. Here are some free resources for pilots and flight instructors:

• AOPA Air Safety Institute: Operations at Non-Towered Airports (PDF)
• FAA Advisory Circular 90-66A – Recommended Standard Traffic Patterns for Aeronautical Operations at Airports without Operating Control Towers
• FAA Advisory Circular 90-42F-Traffic Advisory Practices at Airports without Operating Control Towers
• AOPA Air Safety Institute: Runway Safety Flash Cards (PDF)
• AOPA Air Safety Institute interactive course: Runway Safety
• AOPA Air Safety Institute interactive course: Say It Right: Mastering Radio Communication
• AOPA Safety Pilot column: Pattern Elan
• AOPA Safety Pilot column: Pattern Personalities
• AOPA Safety Pilot column: Stop, Look, and Listen
• AOPA Safety Pilot column: Collision at Quincy
• AIM 4-1-9. Traffic Advisory Practices at Airports Without Operating Control Towers
• AIM 2-1-9. Pilot Control of Airport Lighting
• AIM Section 3. Airport Marking Aids and Signs
• AIM 4 Section 2. Radio Communications Phraseology and Techniques
• AIM 4 Section 3. Airport Operations
• 4-1-5. Communications Release of IFR Aircraft Landing at an Airport Without an Operating Control Tower
• Chapter 2 — Takeoffs and Departures in the Instrument Procedures Handbook, especially the section “Departures from Airports without an Operating Control Tower.”
• Chapter 5 — Approaches in the Instrument Procedures Handbook, especially the section “Airports Without an Air Traffic Control Tower.”

And, finally, a clever video from AVweb, “A Sarcastic View of Pattern Flying.”

Video: Introduction to Aerobatics

Here’s video of a recent training session in basic aerobatic maneuvers including lazy-8s, chandelles, loops, Cuban-8s, rolls, and spins. The student on this flight is already a flight instructor, but he has had limited experience with aerobatics. We are flying my Extra 300L. A related video is here.

An aerobatic lesson in the Extra 300L

International Aerobatic Club (IAC) New Website

The IAC has launched a new website at www.IAC.org. It’s a good resource if you’re interested in aerobatics, aerobatic competitions, and airshows. The site includes a list of instructors and flight schools that offer aerobatic training.

LP Approaches are now Available

The 7 February 2013 NavData update from Jeppesen includes RNAV approaches with LP (localizer performance) minimums. You can read more about LP at my blog here and in AIM 1-1-20 (b)(3):

A new nonprecision WAAS approach, called Localizer Performance (LP) is being added in locations where the terrain or obstructions do not allow publication of vertically guided LPV procedures. This new approach takes advantage of the angular lateral guidance and smaller position errors provided by WAAS to provide a lateral only procedure similar to an ILS Localizer. LP procedures may provide lower minima than a LNAV procedure due to the narrower obstacle clearance surface.

NOTE–WAAS receivers certified prior to TSO C-145b and TSO C-146b, even if they have LPV capability, do not contain LP capability unless the receiver has been upgraded. Receivers capable of flying LP procedures must contain a statement in the Flight Manual Supplement or Approved Supplemental Flight Manual stating that the receiver has LP capability, as well as the capability for the other WAAS and GPS approach procedure types.

As noted above, you must have a WAAS-capable, IFR-approved GPS navigator to fly LP procedures. In addition, your unit must have the correct operating system software installed, and the supplement to your AFM must permit you to fly to LP minimums based on the equipment installed in your aircraft.

At present, there are 413 Localizer Performance (LP) approach procedures in the U.S. The map below is a bit out of date, but it gives you a general idea of where these procedures are located. You can find lists of approaches with LP minimums at this FAA website. The information is in Microsoft Excel worksheets that you can filter and sort.

March 7, 2013 AIM Update

FAA has published the 7 March 2013 update (PDF) to the AIM. The full version of the updated AIM will be available here. Changes include:

1−1−14. User Reports on NAVAID Performance
This change updates guidance to specifically address the Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS).

1−1−19. Global Positioning System (GPS)
This change describes the requirements for two independent navigation systems. It also clarifies the application of different Technical Standard Orders and updates the guidance for standalone GPS approaches. In addition, this change clarifies the term UNRELIABLE as used in conjunction with GPS notices to airmen. Document references have also been updated throughout the paragraph where applicable.

5−2−7. Departure Control
This change incorporates verification of the assigned area navigation (RNAV) standard instrument departure (SID) to pilots prior to departure into the Aeronautical Information Manual and other Air Traffic publications.

5−3−4. Airways and Route Systems
This change adds guidance for using “T−Routes” and “Q−Routes.” Document references have also been updated throughout the paragraph where applicable.

5−4−5. Instrument Approach Procedure Charts
This change updates guidance regarding the Ground Based Augmentation System (GBAS) and updates document references where applicable.

Database Currency for IFR Operations

Most instrument-rated pilots now fly with GPS-based navigation equipment. (according to AOPA, 78 percent of its members rely on GPS as their primary navigation tool). To use an IFR-approved GPS when operating IFR, the unit’s database must be current or you must verify the accuracy of the data (for more details, see note 4 in AIM 1-2-3: Use of Suitable Area Navigation (RNAV) Systems on Conventional Procedures and Routes). Keeping a typical GPS unit up-to-date usually involves downloading fresh data to a card every 28 days.

Of course, the dates of those updates don’t always fall conveniently between trips, and FAA has outlined procedures to help pilots ensure that the data in GPS avionics matches the key information on current charts, especially instrument approach plates.

Regarding instrument approaches, the key information for matching the database to the chart is the procedure amendment reference date, not necessarily the date printed at the top of the chart. On charts published by the FAA, the procedure amendment reference date appears in the lower-left corner, next to the amendment number.

The best description of the procedure amendment reference date and how to use it is in Jeppesen Briefing Bulletin JEP 09-C (PDF)–even if you use charts published by FAA AeroNav Products. The Jeppesen briefing bulletin includes a simple flow chart that helps you use the procedure reference date.

FAA published a safety alert (PDF) in 2009 that explains the difference between chart dates and procedure amendment dates.