B A L L O O N news.pdfthe Editor at the following address: Editor,FAAAviation News, Federal Aviation...

S E P T E M B E R / O C T O B E R 2 0 0 5

B A L L O O N

F E A T U R E S

1 “Come Touch the Sky” with Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta® 2005

1 0 The FAA and How Balloons Fly—from Lift off to Landing1 2 The Snow That Went “Bump” in the Night16 Winter Cometh1 8 “Ode to a Jump Seat”21 Uncle Sam Wants You—Becoming an Aviation Safety Counselor27 Safety First: A Weighty Matter28 What Do You Weigh?29 Think Before You Ship or Pack30 FAA Fact Sheet: Security—Restricted Airspace

14 Sport Pilot: Becoming a Sport Pilot Examiner23 Tales from an FAA Inspector: Correction and Beseeching Time25 Medical Stuff: The Dreaded Medical 32 Aviation Maintenance Alerts34 Unapproved Parts

Notification: Aircraft Propellers

35 AvNEWS B AC K C OV E R Editor’s Runway

D E P A R T M E N T S

FRONT COVER: This majestic 2004 BalloonFiesta special shape balloon greets visitors at

Fiesta Park (Mario Toscano photo)

BACK COVER: Stewart Dawson’s Spirit ofTexas in front of the Lone Star Flight Museum,

Galveston, TX. (Ray Stinchcomb photo)

S E P T E M B E R / O C T O B E R 2 0 0 5

V O L U M E 4 4 • N U M B E R 5Norman Y. Mineta, Secretary of TransportationMarion C. Blakey, AdministratorNicholas A. Sabatini, Associate Administrator

for Aviation SafetyJames J. Ballough, Director,

Flight Standards ServicePeter W. Dula, Manager,

General Aviation and Commercial Division

Carol W. Dieterle, Manager,Plans and Programs Branch

H. Dean Chamberlain, EditorLouise C. Oertly, Senior Associate EditorA. Mario Toscano, Associate Editor/Designer

The FA A’s Flight Standards Service, General Aviation andCommercial Division’s Plans and Programs Branch (AFS–805)publishes FAA Aviation News six times each year in the interest ofaviation safety. The magazine promotes safety by discussing cur-rent technical, regulatory, and procedural aspects affecting thesafe operation and maintenance of aircraft. Although based oncurrent FAA policy and rule interpretations, all material herein isadvisory or informational in nature and should not be construed tohave regulatory effect.

The FAA does not officially endorse any goods, services, materials,or products of manufacturers that may be referred to in an article.

Certain details of accidents described herein may havebeen altered to protect the privacy of those involved.

Comments or questions about this magazine should be directed tothe Editor at (202) 267-7956. Written comments can be mailed tothe Editor at the following address: Editor, FAA Aviation News,Federal Aviation Administration, AFS-805, 800 Independence Ave.SW, Washington, DC 20591. The fax number is (202) 267-9463.The Editor’s e-mail is [email protected].

The Office of Management and Budget has approved the use ofpublic funds for the printing of FAA Aviation News.

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A D O T / F A A F L I G H T S T A N D A R D S S A F E T Y P U B L I C A T I O N

✳✳✳✳✳✳✳✳✳✳✳✳✳✳3–DIGIT 342FAN SMITH212J JUN05 R 1 423✳JOHN SMITH212 MAIN STFORESTVILLE MD 20747

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tors that manages the Albuquerque In-t e rnational Balloon Fiesta® re - e l e c t e dRod May for another year as its presi-dent and elected two new boardmembers: Jay Czar and Scott Cum-mings.

THEFAA’S WORKFAA’s ALBUQUERQUE AIRTRAFFIC CONTROL TOWER

A l b u q u e rq u e ’s Air Tr a ffic Contro lTower (ABQ ATCT) synchronizes itswork with all FAA facilities involvedwith Balloon Fiesta, in order to achievethe maximum in aviation safety duringthe event.

David Ausherman, ABQ AT C Tmanager, keeps a close relationshipwith Balloon Fiesta officials for efficientair traffic procedures. The ultimategoal is to figure out the safest way toavoid conflicts with airplanes and heli-copters during balloon operations.

resentatives from 298 national and in-t e rnational media organizations, in-cluding the FAA Aviation News, cov-ered the event.

The first prize in the overall hot airballoon competition was awarded toKansas pilot Johnny Petrehn. TheU.S. team of Richard Abruzzo and for-mer New Mexico Governor GaryJohnson won the 9th America’s Chal-lenge Gas Balloon Race. The AnnualNew Mexico Challenge hot air balloonrace had winners in three categories.Belgian pilots Peter Van Overw a l l e ,who had also won the 2003 competi-tion in the same category, and LowieVanluffelen won the 83,000 cubic feetand smaller category. U.S. pilots TomB e rgeon and Chuck Polonowski wonthe 84,000 to 100,000 cubic feet cat-egory, and U.S. pilots Rene Meier andDaniel Kirk won the 100,000 cubicfeet and larger category.

Of course, planning for the nextyear starts early. Last November, the24-member volunteer board of dire c-

And, touch the sky, you will!This is a very special year for Al-

buquerque, New Mexico. On October1, it will host the world’s most presti-gious gas balloon race, the 49th An-nual Coupe Aeronautique Gord o nBennett. The “ballooning capital ofthe world” is also center stage for the34th Albuquerque International Bal-loon Fiesta® f rom September 30 toOctober 9. Balloon Fiesta organizersa re forecasting the participation ofm o re than 750 hot air and gas bal-loons. The 10t h A m e r i c a ’s ChallengeGas Balloon Race—qualifier for U.S.participants for next year’s prestigiousG o rdon Bennett’s race—has beenscheduled to launch October 1.

Balloon Fiesta officials re p o rt e dlast year’s attendance at an estimated794,709 guests. A total of 730 bal-loons, 95 special shapes balloons,and 18 gas balloons re p resenting 42American states and 19 foreign coun-tries were re g i s t e red for the nine-day2004 event. A total of 723 media rep-

1S E P T E M B E R / O C T O B E R 2 0 0 5

“ComeTouchtheSky”withAlbuquerqueInternationalBalloonFiesta® 2005

story and photos by A. Mario Toscano

“The FAA community (Albuquerq u eAFSS, Flight Standards District Office,ABQ Center, and naturally the tower),work closely with the balloon commu-nity to make this the biggest and safestballooning event in the country. It is acollaborative effort on all our parts toensure the event proceeds as planned,and at the same time, with as minimalimpact as possible to the rest of the fly-ing community,” says Ausherman.

Representatives of the tower arepresent each day at Balloon Fiestarelaying information between the fieldand the tower, coordinating the closureand release of airspace, identifying air-craft entering restricted airspace, andidentifying any possible security issues.Personnel in the tower and TerminalRadar Approach Control pass alongthis information as needed to securitypersonnel, keep the flying public clearof the restricted airspace, and workaround hundreds of balloons to get air-craft to and from the airport in a safeand efficient manner. Ausherm a npoints out, “There are times when bal-loons land on the airport. When thisoccurs, close coordination with theCity Aviation Department results in theexpedient removal of the balloon andassociated personnel from the airportwhile maintaining a safe environment

for arriving and departing aircraft onother runways.”

FAA’s “TEMPORARY FLIGHTSERVICE STATION”

The FAA Albuquerque AutomatedFlight Service Station (AFSS) re t u rn sfor its fifth year as a remote AFSS inBalloon Fiesta Park. AFSS M a n a g e r,Thomas C. Wimber, plans to continuep roviding online and live services di-rectly to the pilots and crews part i c i-pating in Balloon Fiesta 2005.

Last year, recently re t i red Opera-tions Manager Thom Ochello, Jr., hadhis crew set up the customary “Te m-porary Flight Service Station” in the pi-lots’ tent, and in each Balloon Fiestaday answered questions, pro v i d e dmaps, projected looping weathergraphics on a wide screen, and heldpilot briefs upon request.

Albuquerque AFSS personnel alsos t a ffed the America’s Challenge GasBalloon Race Command Center top rovide weather and aeronautical in-formation to race contestants and offi-cials as contenders flew across theUnited States.

The FAA Albuquerque AFSS pro-vides Balloon Fiesta pilots and cre w swith general information, automated

s e rvices, frequencies, weather pat-t e rns, flight planning, and pilot brief-ings. Available maps include the NewMexico topography, weather reportinglocations, airspace classification, are aAFSS and Air Tr a ffic Control fre q u e n-cies, Airways-Jet routes, IR/VR routes,and restricted areas. Most of thesecurrent products are available online inthe internet, at the AFSS web site at< w w w.abqafss.jccbi.gov> and for aweather briefing over the phone youcan call 1-800-992-7433 (1-800-WX-BRIEF).

THE ALBUQUERQUE FSDO

Balloon Fiesta operates every year—as it has since 1972—under aCertificate of Waiver or Authorizationfor an Aviation Event issued by theFA A’s Albuquerque Flight Standard sDistrict Office (FSDO). It is a longprocess that begins early in the yearand involves several experts from theFAA and the Balloon Fiesta’s organiza-tion. J.D. Huss, a senior aviation safe-ty inspector with the Albuquerq u eFSDO, was the FA A’s designatedinspector in charge (IIC) for the 2004Balloon Fiesta with the responsibility ofoverseeing the entire event. This year’sBalloon Fiesta IIC is Albuquerq u eFSDO safety inspector Tamara Bell.

Before making recommendationsfor the waiver to be issued, the IIC con-ducts a feasibility study, participates inpreseason evaluation meetings, andreviews all the details in the BalloonF i e s t a ’s application for the waiver.Safety, from beginning to end, is theFAA’s goal.

With the waiver granted, theAlbuquerque FSDO and 2005 event IICTamara Bell set up a temporary remotefacility at Balloon Fiesta Park in thePilots and Crew tent to continue theprocess of overseeing the event’s safe-ty. The FAA has the responsibility ofreviewing the certificates and currencyof all participating pilots, as well aseach entrant’s balloon airworthiness.No stone is left unturned. Like airplanepilots, balloon pilots must meet federalre q u i rements for certification. Toreceive an FAA certificate, they mustpass written and in-flight tests covering

2 F A A A v i a t i o n N e w s

Pilots receive a live weather brief at the FAA’s “Temporary Flight Service Station” booth inthe Pilots and Crew tent during Balloon Fiesta 2004.

regulations, meteorology, and generalballooning rules. The minimum age fora balloon solo flight is 14 years. To beeligible for a private pilot balloon certifi-cate or a sport pilot balloon certificate,you must be at least 16 years old.

In addition to the training andknowledge requirements per Title 14Code of Federal Regulations (CFR)Part 61, balloon pilots must includeactual hours flown to qualify for a bal-loon rating. Private pilots must have 10hours of flight time, including a mini-mum one hour solo. Commercialpilots need 35 hours of flight time andmust pass an additional exam andflight check. Every two years pilotsmust pass a Flight Review adminis-tered by a commercial balloon pilot.Balloons must be inspected for airwor-thiness every year or, if operated forhire every 100 hours of flight time.Fabric, maintenance, and conditions inwhich a balloon is flown determine itslongevity. Normally, a balloon that hasflown 500 hours is considered old.

During the Balloon Fiesta, the IICmanages the FAA booth—which is

located beside pilots and crew regis-tration—reviews required certificates,resolves any last minute issues, andensures that spectators remain clearfrom target areas during balloon com-petitions. To help the IIC manage thelarge workload during Balloon Fiesta,the FAA selects and sends several avi-ation safety inspectors from neighbor-ing FSDO’s to augment the FAA’s tem-porary “office” at Balloon Fiesta Park.

THE OPERATIONAL AIRSPACEWAIVER IN BRIEF

The FAA, as it has done consis-tently throughout the years, issuesBalloon Fiesta a Certificate of Wa i v e ror Authorization for an aviation eventgoverned by the 14 CFR Part 91. Thiso fficial document authorizes cert a i noperations of aircraft to deviate fro mregulations, while assuring an equiva-lent level of safety. Section 91.905lists the sections that can be waived,and the FSDO reviews and processesa waiver request. Waivers are prima-rily granted based on a recommenda-

tion by the FAA-designated inspectorin charge (IIC) and upon an in-depthknowledge of the proposed operationand show site.

The safety of spectators and par-ticipants in an event like Balloon Fiestaare foremost for the FAA. Events or-ganizers assume responsibility for anoperationally safe meet with targ e ta reas under event officials’ contro l .When applying for a waiver, event or-ganizers are also asked, but not re-quired, to submit a set of competitionrules conforming to industry standardssuch as those developed by the Bal-loon Federation of America (BFA). Tobe eligible for a waiver to 14 CFR sec-tion 91.119[b] and [c], the applicantmust pre p a re and maintain an Org a-nized Manned Free Balloon Competi-tion Manual that has been found ac-ceptable by the jurisdictional FSDO.When satisfied that the manual pre-sented addresses all pertinent federalaviation regulations and FAA dire c-tives, the jurisdictional FSDO grantsand issues the requested Certificate ofWaiver or Authorization for the event.


The Manual is an extremely com-plex safety document that includesoperat ions, personnel , letters ofagreement, and the names of balloonflight crewmembers. The Manual is anecessary tool to assure that all oper-ators work under the same standards.Section 91.119 (b) can be waived toallow flight over a congested area atan altitude of no less than 500 feetabove the highest obstacle within a500 feet radius from the balloon. Thesection requires a specified maximumdistance from launch and target areas.If a target area is small and does notallow for a normal descent of 200 to300 feet per minute, the waiver will notbe granted. However, the section maybe waived to allow flight over, but notless than 75 feet from, any open-airassembly of people (spectators’ area)under direct control of event org a n i z-ers. Section 91.119 (c) may also bewaived to allow flight over open wateror sparsely populated areas, no closerthan 200 feet horizontally to any per-son, vessel, vehicle, or structure.


The maximum wind speed forlaunch and for the target area is set byan agreement between the event or-ganizer flight director and the FA A .Balloon Fiesta maximum wind speedis set at 10 knots.

INANDAROUNDBALLOON FIESTA2004:THE BALLOON MUSEUM, SOMEDISTINGUISHED VISITORS, ANDITS GRAND OPENING

Last September, Albuquerq u eMayor Martin J. Chavez hosted anevening reception on the eve of Bal-loon Fiesta 2004 to welcome digni-taries and to lead a tour of the unfin-ished balloon museum. TheA n d e r s o n - A b ruzzo Albuquerque Inter-national Balloon Museum is scheduledto be completed and open to the pub-lic by October 1, 2005. A Gala Open-ing is scheduled for September 24.

The $12 million, 59,000-square

foot museum is designed to housec reative and technological exhibits ofballooning experiences. It will featureone of the finest collections of balloon-ing equipment and memorabilia in theworld. Learning spaces and educa-tional classrooms are planned for thenew facility, also a library on ballooningand ai r f l ight, a f i lm and photoa rchives, a museum shop, and foods e rv ice. The exhibit ion space is25,000 square feet.

For more information, visit the Mu-seum web site at: <http://www. b a l l o o n-museum.com/balloonmuseum.html >.

Tom D. Crouch

Tom Crouch, the Smithsonian’sNational Air and Space Museum Se-nior Curator of Aeronautics, was onhand at last year’s Balloon Fiesta andfor the new Balloon Museum re c e p-tion. Crouch, a balloon historian andauthor of several aviation books in-cluding The Eagle Aloft: Two Centuriesof the Balloon in America, led a group

the Balloon Museum. “It was a cele-bration, our way in welcoming the newmuseum,” says Crouch.

Later that evening, Tom re v i s i t e dwith Ed Yost, highly esteemed andrecognized in the world’s ballooningcommunity as the “father of modernhot air ballooning.” “It was wonderfulto see Ed,” and “revisit some of hishistorical accomplishments in his bal-

looning care e r.” Tom re m i-nisces fondly when they“first met in 1993 inPhiladelphia during the cele-bration of the 200th An-n i v e r s a ry of free f light inAmerica. Really, a wor ldclass engineer.”

Tom Crouch is sched-uled to lead a new group ofsome 20 to 30 SmithsonianAssociates to this very spe-cial year for Balloon Fiesta.Coincidentally the Udvar-Hazy Center is scheduled toopen its new balloon andairships exhibit in Chantilly,VA, around the same time.

Ed Yost

Paul Edward “Ed” Yost is consid-ered the father of modern hot air bal-looning. He was also on hand at Bal-loon Fiesta 2004 for the launch of theAmerica’s Challenge Gas Race. Ed, bydeveloping, building, and flying thefirst modern hot air balloons began ac o l o rful career in ballooning when hewas a senior engineer at the High Alti-tude Research Division of GeneralMills. There, he was instrumental inthe development of high altitude re-s e a rch balloons capable of re a c h i n galtitudes over 100,000 feet.

Yost flew the first modern mannedhot air balloon at an old air base atB runing, Nebraska, on October 22,1960. It was the crowning moment ofEd’s search for a cheaper replacementfor the European gas balloons. Princi-pal among his many accomplishmentsis the first hot air balloon flight acrossthe English Channel in 1963 alongsideDon Piccard and co-founding the Bal-loon Federation of America.

Ed Yost has been widely re c o g-nized for his accomplishments. Heshaped the stage in which the newworldwide sport, ballooning, flourishedand developed the first successfultransat lantic gas bal loons. And,among the many awards he received,in 1999 Ed Yost became the 48th indi-vidual to receive the coveted GodfreyL. Cabot Aw a rd from the oldest aeroclub in the United States, the Aero


of Smithsonian associates for theirvisit to Albuquerque and the BalloonFiesta.

During his visit, Tom gave a pres-entation on the Smithsonian’s Air andSpace Museum new Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center <http://www.nasm.si.edu/ m u s e u m / u d v a rhazy/> as part of aCity of Albuquerque reception in thethen unfinished building grounds of

Above: Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum Senior Curator of Aeronautics andauthor Tom Crouch, left, visits with Ed Yost. Below: Tom Crouch poses with AlbuquerqueMayor Martin J. Chavez during their walk through the new Balloon Museum facility construc-tion site. Above, left, the majestic Balloon Museum building during Fiesta’s 2004 spectacle.

Club of New England. He was recog-nized for a lifetime of achievementsand significant contributions to avia-tion as the inventor of the modern hotair balloon.

9th AMERICA’S CHALLENGEGAS RACE

Repeating their feat in 2002, U.S.pilots Richard Abruzzo and form e rNew Mexico Governor Gary Johnsonwon the ninth America’s ChallengeGas Balloon Race. The winning teamlanded safely 3.2 miles northeast ofOkmulgee, Oklahoma, after traveling611.60 miles in 35.97 hours.

The U.S. team of David and AlanLevin finished second and landed nearGuthrie, Oklahoma, logging 509.18miles in 33.18 hours. Germany’s GerdStrasmann and Rainer Herkenhoffwere third-place winners, and U.S. pi-lots Lesley Pritchard and Jack Mullerwas fourth.

The three top U.S. teams in the

A m e r i c a ’s Challenge race will re p re-sent the United States this October inthe world’s most prestigious gas bal-loon race Coupe Aeronautique Gor-don Bennett. The 49t h edition of theCoupe Gordon Bennett race is sched-uled for October 1 at Balloon Fiesta.

The Education Committee of theA l b u q u e rque Aerostat Ascension As-sociation (Quad-A), as it customarilydoes before each gas race, held aspecial seminar for all part i c i p a t i n gteams. FA A’s Albuquerque Fl ightS t a n d a rds District Office, Air Tr a ff i cControl, and Automated Flight ServiceStation personnel presented pert i n e n tinformation on charts, Air Traffic Con-t rol Centers, communicat ions,weather, and flight services among theseveral topics related to the safety ofthe race. The Quad-A EducationCommittee also hosts a “Balloon Fi-esta Safety Seminar” on Tu e s d a y s ,during Balloon Fiesta, open to all bal-loonists wishing to attend. Last year,m o re than 280 balloonists attended

the program that includes an in-depthsafety presentation from the FSDO’sSafety Program Manager J.D. Huss.

The Quad-A web site is a “must-visit” for balloonists. In addition todownloadable material such as pro-hibited zones (PZ), area maps, sched-ule of safety seminars, and the latestabout Balloon Fiesta, <http://www.ho-t a i r b a l l o n i n g . o rg> provides valuablelinks to its visitors.

…ANDNOW,TOBALLOONFIESTA2005!49th COUPE AERONAUTIQUEGORDON BENNETT

The Coupe Gordon Bennett is amajor highlight in this year’s Albu-querque International Balloon Fiesta®.A l b u q u e rque has been given thehonor to host the 49th Coupe GordonBennett by the Ballooning Commis-sion of the Federation Aéro n a u t i q u e


Internationale, along with Balloon Fed-eration Of America and the NationalAeronautic Association.

When the U.S. team of RichardA b ruzzo and Dr. Carol Rymer Daviswon the 48th Annual Coupe Aéronau-tique Gordon Bennett last fal l , inThionville, France, they secured arrivalof this prestigious event on U.S. soilfor the first time since 1999. Tradition-a l l y, the Coupe winning team earn stheir country the right to organize thefollowing year’s competition. The 49thrace is scheduled to take place in Al-buquerque on Saturday, October 1.

The race, named after the Interna-tional Herald Tribune founder, JamesG o rdon Bennett, Jr., dates back al-most 100 years. It is the world’s pre-mier gas balloon distance race and at-tracts some of the most experiencedand distinguished international pilotteams. While the mission of the raceis simple, executing that mission isanything but easy. The winning team isthe one that flies the farthest distancefrom the launch site. But desire alonewon’t carry a team to victory. Physicalresistance, mental strength, stro n gmorale, and incredible knowledge ofwinds and weather are the keys totaking home the cup.

Each country is allowed to enterits three best teams. This is the firsttime the Gordon Bennett race hasbeen approved for competitors tohave their choice of helium or hydro-gen gases. To read the race’s rules,please visit <http://www. g a s b a l l o o n-i n g . o rg/Coupe Gordon Bennett/Gor-den Bennett Rules March 2005.htm>.

CONCLUSIONThe balloon magic of Balloon Fi-

esta lightens up the sky between theSandia Mountains and the Rio GrandeValley modify ing New Mexico’sc e rulean sky into a colorful master-piece created with balloons from allover the world. Yet, there is more tothe mythical balloon flight.

F rom an inaugural mass ascen-sion to the farewell mass ascension,the gas and hot air balloon races,evening glow spectacles and specialshapes ascensions, Albuquerque In-


Left, on page 6, gas balloons are getting ready for lift-off for the 8th America’sChallenge Gas Race, qualifier for U.S. teams’ participation in the prestigiousCoupe Aeronautique Gordon Bennett. Above, a successful dusk launch of acompetitor in the America’s Challenge Gas Race.

t e rnational Balloon Fiesta® is consid-e red the largest and most pho-tographed ballooning event in theworld. In addition to the thousands ofspectators who visit Balloon fiestaPark each year, millions see the eventon television segments worldwide.

As one marv e l ’s at a balloonisthandling dexterity, extreme expert i s e ,public and event safety are foremost inthe mind of FAA officials and event or-ganizers. “That work has begun way,way before the first Balloon Fiestalaunch,” recalls J.D. Huss, 2004 Bal-loon Fiesta’s IIC.

Safety in ballooning and in BalloonFiesta Park during operations cannotbe over-emphasized. It is FA A’s pri-m a ry mission as it is Balloon Fiestaevent director Pat Brake. Brake instillsin all her volunteers—more than 2,000of them each year—that safety is theirf o remost concern. The Albuquerq u eFSDO is publicly grateful for the “out-standing job” that Brake’s team doesin keeping Balloon Fiesta and Albu-querque’s skies safe.

The FAA (Albuquerque FSDO)achieved and maintains a stellar safetyrecord because it enjoys genuine col-laboration from the event org a n i z e r s .The mechanics of safety are simple:work all the angles before they be-come problems that re q u i re impro-vised reactions with untested solu-tions. And, should there be a ro u g hspot along the way, the strength of theFAA and the event organizers commit-ment to their partnership, most likely,have already anticipated it and dealtwith it.

And, now let us have some gen-uine fun. If you are a participating pilotor crew in 2005 Balloon Fiesta, dro pby the FAA booth in the pilots’ tent foran AFSS briefing, to see the FSDOteam and get a free copy of FAA Avia -tion News, or just to say hello. You’llbe glad you did, and so will we!

Thanks to the Albuquerque FSDOmanager, John Wensel, its personnel,to J. D. Huss, 2004 Balloon Fiesta IIC,for support and help in facilitating ourcoverage of Fiesta 2004 and for thisre p o rt on the upcoming Fiesta 2005.


ALBUQUERQUE INTERNATIONALBALLOON FIESTA® 2005Balloon Fiesta Park, Albuquerque, NMSeptember 30 – October 9, 2005

2005 Event ScheduleFriday, September 30 7:00am 10:00am Albuquerque Aloft 5:00pm 7:00pm Fiesta Challenge Competition FlightSaturday, October 15:45am 6:45am Dawn Patrol Show6:45am 7:00am Opening Ceremonies 7:00am 8:30am Mass Ascension12:30pm 7:00pm Fiesta del Vino - Wine Tasting2:00pm 5:00pm America’s Challenge Gas Balloon Race inflation begins5:00pm 7:00pm Fiesta Challenge Competition Flight6:00pm 7:15pm America’s Challenge Gas Balloon RaceSunday, October 25:45am 6:45am Dawn Patrol Show7:00am 8:30am Mass Ascension9:00am 10:00am Car Display of Classic and Special Interest Vehicles 10:00am 11:00am Salute to Veterans 5:45pm 8:00pm Balloon Glow®8:00pm 9:00pm AfterGlow™ Fireworks ShowMonday, October 35:45am 6:45am Dawn Patrol7:00am 8:00am Flying EventsTuesday, October 45:45am 6:45am Dawn Patrol7:00am 11:45am Flying EventsWednesday, October 55:45am 6:45am Dawn Patrol Show7:00am 10:00am Flight of the Nations Mass AscensionThursday, October 65:45am 6:45am Dawn Patrol7:00am 8:00am Special Shape Mass Ascension8:00am 10:00am Flying Events5:45pm 8:00pm Special Shape Glowdeo™8:00pm 9:00pm AfterGlow™ Fireworks Show Friday, October 75:45am 6:45am Dawn Patrol7:00am 8:00am Special Shape Mass Ascension8:00am 10:00am Key Grab Competition5:45pm 8:00pm Special Shape Glowdeo™8:00pm 9:00pm AfterGlow™ Fireworks Show Saturday, October 85:45am 6:45am Dawn Patrol Show7:00am 8:30am Mass Ascension5:45pm 8:00pm Night Magic ™ Show8:00pm 9:00pm AfterGlow™ Fireworks ShowSunday, October 95:45am 6:45am Dawn Patrol Show 5:45am 9:30am Propane Day 7:00am 8:30am Farewell Mass Ascension

ALL TIMES AND EVENTS ARE WEATHER DEPENDENTPlease visit <http://www.balloonfiesta.com> for current schedule.


THE GAS BALLOONCOMPETITIONS LINE-UP:9thAMERICA’SCHALLENGEGASRACE

Country Type of gasBoylan, Tom USA HELIUM Cole, Tim Kugler, John USA HELIUM Brown, W. Brown Cayton, John USA HELIUM Suskin, Dan Wechter, Frank USA HELIUM Clinton, Paul Fricke, Barbara USA HELIUM Cuneo, Peter Lind, Ruth USA HELIUM Davis, John Macnutt, Wm. USA/ HELIUM Kümmerlein, Anja Padelt, Bert USA HELIUM Vitanza, Louis Folkes, Janet UK/USA HELIUM Arras, Bill Hempleman-Adams, David UK HELIUM Mason, Jonathan Martin, Ron CANADA/USA HELIUM Levin, Alan Hale, Bruce USA HELIUM Herschend, James Wallace, J. Michael USA HYDROGEN Brielmann, Kevin Boring, Gordon USA HELIUM Campanale, Frank

49thCOUPEGORDONBENNETTCountry Type of gas

Abruzzo, Richard USA HELIUMDavis, CarolBurman, Leo CANADA HELIUMFrancoeur, DanielleHohl, Josef GERMANY HYDROGENHandl, StefanKrebs, Max SWITZERLAND HYDROGENVollenweider, WalterLevin, David USA HELIUMSullivan, MarkStoll, Christian SWITZERLAND HYDROGENMattenberger, WalterIchiyoshi, Sabu JAPAN HYDROGENOwia, MacoSturzlinger, Gerald AUSTRIA HYDROGENFuerstner, JohannVan Havere, Ronny BELGIUM HYDROGENVan Geyte, LucBrachtendorf, Heinrich GERMANY HYDROGENHuthmacher, Karl-HeinzBerben, Bob BELGIUM HELIUMSimeons, BenoitPritchard, Lesley USA HELIUMMullen, JackEimers, Wilhelm GERMANY HELIUMLandsmann, BerndDonnelly, Tom UK HELIUMButter, Colin

Ballooning and Fiesta2005 ON THE WEB

Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta®

<http://www.aibf.org><http://www.balloonfiesta.com>

Albuquerque Flight Service Station<http://www.abqafss.jccbi.gov/>

Albuquerque Flight Standards District Office<http://www.faa.gov/fsdo/abq/>

Albuquerque Aerostat Ascension Association (Quad-A)<http://www.hotairballooning.org>

Albuquerque Gas Balloning Association<http://www.gasballooning.org/>

Anderson-Abruzzo Albuquerque International Balloon Museum

<http://www.cabq.gov/balloon/><http://www.balloonmuseum.com/balloonmuseum.shtml>

Balloon Federation of America (BFA)<http://www.bfa.net>

BFA Jr. Balloonist<http://www.bfa.net/jrballoonists/index.htm>

Balloon Life® Magazine<http://www.balloonlife.com>

City of Albuquerque<http://www.cabq.gov/>

EAA SportPilot & Light-Sport Aircraft™ magazine<http://www.sportpilot.org/magazine/>

Federation Aeronautique Internationale(FAI - International Ballooning Commission)

<http://www.fai.org/ballooning>Federation Francaise d’Aerostation

<http://www.ffaerostation.org/>49th Coupe Aeronautique Gordon Bennett (9/30/05)

<http://www.gordonbennett2005.org/><http://www.aibf.org/Gas/Races/gordonbennett.php><http://www.coupegordonbennett.org/>

Gas Ballooning<http://www.gasballon.be/uk>

North American Balloon Association (NABA)<http://www.eballoon.com>

Top Gun Ballooning<http://www.topgunballooning.org/>

T he mix for a successful bal-loon flight is simple. It musthave an FAA cert i f i c a t e dpilot, an experienced chase

crew, a suitable chase vehicle, and allre q u i red certificates and equipment.Title 14 Code of Federal Regulationssection 31.85 discusses the re q u i re dbasic equipment of a hot air balloon,which includes altimeter, variometer,fuel quantity gauge, and an envelopet e m p e r a t u re indicator. Captive gasballoons require the addition of a com-pass. Desirable equipment includesp rotective headgear, markers, safetyl ine, charts, radio, transponder,gloves, and fire extinguisher.

U s u a l l y, a balloon’s day begins

two hours before sunrise, stuffed in-side a round three to five foot canvasbag stowed inside its gondola. It ar-rives at the launching site with pilot,crew, and chase vehicle.

The two existing types of balloons(hot air and gas) share term i n o l o g y,but differ in cost and weight lift capac-i t y. The envelope is the balloon skinthat holds the gas or hot air. The gon-dola, or basket, carries the pilot andpassengers. A hot air balloon enve-lope is made of either polyester ornylon fabric coated with polyurethane.Its gondola, or basket, is made ofw i c k e r, while gas balloon gondolasmay be wicker, aluminum, or heavy-duty synthetic material.

To inflate the envelope of a hot airballoon, the ground crew patientlys p reads (unfolds) the envelope on alarge, flat canvas that protects it fromd i rect contact with the ground anduses a large fan to blow cool air into it.As the envelope inflates, the gro u n dcrew holds the balloon’s mouth open,while the pilot directs hot air from thep ropane burner into the envelope.Because hot air rises, the envelopefully inflates to an upright position.The gondola is securely tethered tothe chase vehicle until the pilot signalshis or her intent to ascend. After lift-o ff, the propane burner is used tocontrol the altitude of the balloon. Torise, air is heated inside the envelope.


THE FAA ANDHOW BALLOONS FLY – FROM

LIFTOFF TO LANDINGby Mario Toscano and J.D. Huss

At its peak, air in the upper portion ofthe envelope can reach 250 degre e sF. To descend, the pilot may “vent”hot air by opening a portion of the topof the envelope, or simply lets the airinside the envelope to cool down.

Balloons drift with the wind andcannot be steered but an experiencedpilot can manage the direction of flightby ascending or descending. Most Fi-esta balloons, limited by propane ca-pacity, fly from one to two hours for adistance of three to 12 miles from thelaunch site and rarely exceed 2,000feet above ground level.

New hot air balloons cost an aver-age $30,000 to $40,000. A specialshape ba lloon can cost up to$200,000. However, used balloons,which are still re q u i red to be main-tained to FAA standards are availablefor much less. As mentioned earlier,propane is used to fuel the burner toheat the air inside the envelope andlasts for one to two hours of flight.Propane is usually carried in 10, 15 or20-gallon tanks, and fuel costs an av-erage of less than $20.00 per hour offlying. The ideal time for balloons to flyis in the morning, when cooler tem-p e r a t u res and lower winds provide asafer environment for flying. Wi n d sbelow 10 knots ensure safe launch-ings and safe landings.

Most hot air balloons are classAX-7 and AX-8, measuring 77,000 to105,900 cubic feet. Generally, a sizeAX-7 balloon can carry three to fourpeople, and a size AX-8 four to fivepeople including the pilot. Balloons areusually 50 to 80 feet tall.

Finally, after a safe flight and if notengaged in a balloon night glow, theballoon is back in its container for thenight, reserving the next day for morepleasant surprises.

Gas balloons are handled a bit dif-ferently from hot air balloons. In gen-eral, a gas balloon journey begins justas early for the pilot with a morn i n gbriefing on the weather and conditionsfor flight. Weather conditions and pilotskill determine how far a gas ballooncan fly. Strong winds can help balloonteams cover great distances. In thefirst America’s Challenge in 1995,Richard Abruzzo set a world distance

re c o rd flying his balloon 3,610 milesand landing in Virginia. Last year, thesame Richard Abruzzo and form e rNew Mexico Governor Gary Johnsonended up in Delaware, just short of theAtlantic Ocean. After taking flight, gasballoons become a part of the weathersystem. The bal loons move up,down, and across as determined bythe jet streams and weather fro n t s .Sometimes the ride is peaceful whileother times it can be extremely dan-gerous. Some pilots recount of beingsucked up into a storm cloud whileothers have experienced the horror ofa microburst downdraft.

Gas balloons fly as a result of alifting gas trapped in their envelopes.In the United States the preferred gasis helium, which is lighter than air. Theinternational standard size for compet-itive gas balloons is 1,000 cubic meter(approximately, 35,600 cubic feet) en-velope. To fill that envelope with he-lium for two to three days of flightcosts more than $2,500. However,the European balloonists have beensafely using hydrogen for over 50years. The cost is much less and hy-d rogen is the lightest of all gasses.This year almost half of the 28 bal-loons flying in the “America’s Chal-lenge” and “Gordon Bennett” raceswill use hydrogen as a lifting gas. Pi-lots have two ways to control the alti-tude of their balloons. To decrease al-titude, pilots can either vent helium orh y d rogen from the top of their enve-lope (competition pilots do not ventunless it is absolutely necessary) orwait for the cooler temperatures tocontract the gas in the envelope. Toincrease altitude, pilots can either dropballast (sand or water) or wait forwarmer temperatures to heat the gasand cause it to expand in the enve-lope. Again, to launch safely, surfacewinds must be less than 10 knots.

In addition to propane-fired hot-airballoons and gas balloons inflated withhelium or hydrogen, solar balloons arenow under development.

PILOTS AND CHASE CREWS

Ballooning is a group sport ofmainly volunteers. Some volunteer for

the opportunity to learn more aboutballoons, others do it in exchange fora ride. Some enjoy a customary afterflying breakfast offered the crew by thepilot. But, they all do it for the fun andmagic of free flight.

The pilot and crew relationship isvital to a safe flight. All membersmove in the same direction, especiallyafter they are briefed by the pilot onflight objectives. A good inflation andsafe f light is not luck, but a well-planned operation that includes allmembers of the team.

The ground crew pre p a res theballoon for its flight. Every pilot hasp re f e rences for preflight pro c e d u re sand must thoroughly instruct the crewbefore inflation. Some pilots will namean experienced handler their Cre wChief (CC) or “Balloonmeister” to facili-tate communications and task distri-bution. The ground crew is also thechase crew.

The chase vehicle and crew areextremely important to a balloon’s safelanding. That is the general cre w ’sgoal and sometimes extremely difficultto achieve. The chase cre w ’s primaryjob is to arrive at the projected landingsite as fast as possible. The cre w,pilot, and passengers must then de-flate the balloon, fold it, and pack itback into its container. The gondola,burners, and envelope are then loadedaboard the chase vehicle for the returnto launch site. All this must be donea c c o rding to the manufacture r’s re c-ommendation to ensure that the bal-loon will be in an airw o rthy conditionfor the next flight.

With just a bit of temperance infollowing prescribed guidelines, keep-ing current, and observing good safetypractices, you’ll have a safe and suc-cessful ballooning experience. In all,ballooning is fun and highly rewarding.

J.D. Huss is a senior Av i a t i o nSafety Inspector and the Safety Pro -gram Manager at the Albuquerq u eFSDO, and Mario Toscano is Associ -ate Editor/Art Director of the FAA Avia-tion News in Washington, D.C.


B ill was a meticulous youngd o c t o r. He did every t h i n gfull out. He tied for the topspot in his medical school

class. At 30, he was beginning hispractice and held a private pilot certifi-cate with instrument rating and had atotal time of 360 hours. Thirteen ofthose hours were in the MooneyM20C involved in this accident.

Unbeknownst to Bill, the re n t a lplane had altimeter problems. Afterthe accident, it was learned that theb a rometric adjustment gears for theKollsman setting did not mesh andthis allowed the altimeter’s hands tomove while the barometric scale didnot.

On an Apr i l day back in the1 9 7 0 ’s, Bill was pilot-in command on

a mission to fly from Milwaukee toWyoming to look at a campgro u n dthat he and his three passengers wereconsidering as an investment. Theother travelers were Joe, Fred, andSusie. Joe, also a doctor and privatepilot, was in the right seat. Fred andSusie, a husband and wife, were in therear seats.

Dr. Joseph “Joe” Hoffmantells it best:

The flight was going well. We hadstopped for fuel in Sioux City, Iowa,and the weather was good. We tookoff and continued westbound.

I recalled, as night fell on the acci -dent leg of the flight, we were overNebraska as we began to run into un -

forecast snow. It persisted and be -came heavy. We were on a VFR flightplan and called ATC to see about find -ing a route clear of the snow. Theysaid they weren’t showing anythingand couldn’t suggest any alternaterouting. [Remember this was 1970’stechnology.]

Bill changed our flight plan to IFRfiguring the snow would end soon. Itdidn’t! It was late now and the snowbegan sticking to the wings and wasso heavy that all we could see was afaint glow from the wingtip lights. Werequested clearance to Scotts Bluff,Nebraska, where we could sort thingsout and get a better handle on theweather.

The faulty altimeter was showingus at 5,000 feet, but in reality we were


by Michael Lenz

much lower and narrowly missingtreetops. Bill had his hands full flyinginstruments. Visibility was almost nil,at the last minute I saw the terrain andbluff approaching and pulled back onthe stick, but it wasn’t enough, andwe impacted into the fresh snow. Afew feet either up or down, and I prob -ably wouldn’t be writing about thisnow.

I lost eight teeth and suffered fa -cial injuries that required plastic sur -gery to correct. After the impact, Bill,seriously injured and in a state ofshock, continued to f ly the plane.Fred and Susie had minor injuries.

Bill didn’t believe we had crashed.I said I’m going for help. He said,“You’re crazy, don’t open that door,we’re at 5,000 feet!” I had a hunchwe weren’t.

I stepped out of the plane intosnow up to my chest. Fred and Susiefollowed. A bit dazed, I didn’t botherto take my coat. The only thing Icould see was a light that, fortunately,was downhill from the crash site. Ihate to be cold, and to me that lightmeant it must have be warm nearbyand I was going for it.

The light turned out to be aboutthree and a half miles away. It tookaround two hours to reach it. Fortu -nately it had stopped snowing now.The snow may have been an “on-again, off-again” thing and that’s whyATC wasn’t showing it.

The light was from the only farmaround, and we knocked on the doorof the house. The farmer’s wife an -swered about midnight. You can onlyimagine the sight that greeted her—the three of us wet and cold and me abloody mess. She wouldn’t let us in -side because her husband was outtending to the cows.

When the farmer returned, theyhappily let us in and I proceeded tobleed all over the furniture until helparrived. We were taken to the hospitaland a separate group of emergencypersonnel went to rescue Bill.

Bill had serious chest injuries andwas MedEvac’d to a hospital in Hous -ton. He survived and practices medi -cine today. We still talk, although in -frequently. We did joke later about

Bill’s rescue. He was still flying theplane when the emergency personnelarrived. He later told me it was quite ashock to him when “in the middle ofthe flight” the rescuers opened thedoor and people were getting in theplane! He said he thought he musthave died and that they were fromheaven. I told him in his case, theymight not have been from heaven.But that’s another story.

In retrospect, it’s ironic that thesnow that almost killed us may havealso saved our lives. The reason thelight was on that lead us to the farm -house was because the snow was sohigh, the farmer had to make sure thecows could not walk up and over thesnow and cross the fences. Thefarmer said our guiding light, which il -luminated the whole area surroundingthe barn, was only on four or f ivetimes a year.

The “driven snow” that night alsodrove me out of aviation. I stoppedflying after that. I learned how sud -denly snow can start, even in lateApril. If weather as severe as the sud -den snowstorm that brought us downthat night was unforecast and couldnot be detected by ATC, I thought therisks were too great to use generalaviation aircraft for transportation.

That was over 30 years ago, andfortunately a lot has changed for thebetter regarding weather forecastsand detection. I have taken a fewmore flying lessons since then in Cali -fornia where I live, but never stuck withit and got serious about getting backinto aviation. And, by the way, I didbuy the farm couple some new furni -ture to replace the blooded pieces.

This is an intriguing story of re s-cue and a narrow escape from whatcould have easily been a fatal acci-dent. Equally important is the lessonof how unpredictable and transientsnow can be.

In the time that has passed sincethis accident, aviation has benefitedfrom improvements in forecasting andweather reporting. Now we have nu-m e rous AT I S / AWOS/ASOS locationsavailable to monitor conditions at ter-minals along our route of flight. En-

route Flight Advisory Service (FlightWatch, 122.0 MHz) has also been en-hanced.

Keep in mind that this accidentp redated GPS navigation. GPS nowallows us precise VFR flight at alti-tudes that previously would have beenbelow the altitudes of VOR coverage.Almost all GPS navigators include af e a t u re that can be used in Te rr a i nAvoidance Planning or TAP (See FA AAviation News, N o v e m b e r / D e c e m b e r2004). Since GPS knows where it is,it also knows the minimum safe alti-tude for the area and can be used inVFR flight planning.

Terrain Avoidance Planning can beused when any precipitation is fore-cast or if marginal weather (ceilingbelow 3,000 feet and/or v isibi l i tybelow five miles) or close temperaturedewpoints are forecast anywherealong the proposed route. It’s fore-casts that include these types of con-ditions that can lead to big surprises inflight. This is especially true when re-p o rting stations along the route maybe good VFR at the time of the pre-flight weather briefing, but changesare in the offing.

When it comes to weather, “Whatyou see, is what you get.” That maybe most true in winter when weathersystems, fronts and lows, really get apush from the atmosphere. If theweather you see out the window is notthe same as the forecast, it’s time top roceed with great caution. It mayeven be time to consider some alter-nates. You did include some contin-gencies in your flight planning, right?

Update your weather inform a t i o nf rom Flight Watch or ATC. Tune inH a z a rdous Inflight Weather AdvisoryService (HIWAS – broadcast on selectVOR f requencies), or AT I S ,AWOS/ASOS to keep up with what’shappening and learn what nearby ter-minals are reporting.

Enjoy the winter wonderland, in-stead of one winter day wonderingwhere you’re going to land.

Michael Lenz is a Program Analystin Flight Standards’ General Av i a t i o nand Commercial Division.


5

S ince the new Sport Pilot regu-lation was signed, a commonquestion we have received inthe FAA’s Light Sport Aviation

Branch (LSAB) is, “How do I becomea Sport Pilot Examiner?” The answerto the question is simple, but com-plex. Our initial response is, “Yo uneed to complete a Light Sport Stan-d a rdization Board – Designated PilotExaminer Candidate Application, FA AForm 8710-12.” We explain to the in-dividual that the application can befound on the <afs600.faa.gov> website under the Light Sport Av i a t i o nBranch (AFS-610) listing. It is listedunder “Sport Pilot Documents.”

The instructions are included withthe application and occupy about fourpages. It is very important that theapplicant read the instructions in detailbecause, if the form is not filled outp ro p e r l y, the application will be re-turned to the individual. The flight ex-perience must be completed with ac-tual t imes and be ver if iable withlogbook entr ies or f l ight re c o rd s .Many applications are not acceptedbecause the f l ight experience isrounded up to the nearest 1,000s.The flight experience will be verifiedwhen an applicant is accepted into theSport Pilot Examiner Initial Seminar.

Once the application is re c e i v e dby the Light Sport Standard i z a t i o nB o a rd (LSSB), the application will be

placed in the “hold” file for the nextB o a rd meeting. Curre n t l y, the LSSBmeets once a quarter. The LSSB re-views each application to determ i n ethe experience level of each candidateand ranks the candidates with a nu-merical value. The Board places theapplicant on a list that identifies the in-dividual in order of numerical ratingfrom the highest to the lowest. Appli-cants are sent a letter asking them totake the appropriate airman knowl-edge test for the primaryc a t e g o ry/class aircraft the applicantcould be accepted as an examiner. Ifthe applicant already holds a flight in-s t ructor certificate, the applicant willbe asked to take the Sport Pilot Ex-aminer test. If the individual does nothold an FAA flight instructor certificate,the applicant will be asked to take thea p p ropriate initial Flight Instru c t o rKnowledge test. Upon successfulcompletion of the knowledge test, theapplicant will mail the original copy ofthe results to the LSSB. After theLSSB receives the knowledge test re-p o rt, the applicant is placed on theS p o rt Pilot Examiner Initial Seminarselection list.

The Sport Pilot Examiner InitialSeminar is scheduled by the LightSport Standardization Branch to meetthe needs of the Sport Pilot commu-n i t y. The seminars are held in Okla-homa City during the summer months.

The 2006 schedule will be posted byJ a n u a ry and will list the dates of theseminars. Attendance in the seminarsis by invitation only.

The next step in the process is themanager of the LSAB selects six toeight applicants to become candi-dates for the Sport Pilot Examiner Pro-gram. The applicants are invited toone of the scheduled courses via al e t t e r. Enclosed with the letter are acopy of the appropriate Sport PilotPractical Test Standard, a pre - c o u r s estudy guide, a Sport Pilot ExaminerHandbook (FAA Order 8710.7), andthe location of the academic portion ofthe seminar. The applicant is also ad-vised of the aircraft that will be usedduring the training. The aircraft willv a ry depending on the availability ofmanufacturer support. If the applicantaccepts the offer to enroll in the semi-nar, the cost of the seminar is $150.00for the academic portion. The aircraftrental costs depends on the type ofaircraft available.

The seminar schedule is verybusy. The seminar curriculum coversall of the subjects the examiner needsin order to perf o rm as a designee ofthe FAA Administrator. The first daybegins with a review of the appropriateregulations that the candidate willneed to know in order to conduct pilotcertification. If the examiner candidatehas a good background in Title 14


Becoming a Sport Pilot Examinerby Martin Weaver

Code of Federal Regulations (14 CFR)part 61 then it is not as overwhelmingas someone who has minimum expo-sure to this regulation. After this pres-entation, the examiner candidates areasked to demonstrate their knowledgeas a pilot and flight instructor. If the in-dividuals hold an FAA pilot and flighti n s t ructor certificate in the categoryand class of the examiner privilegesthey are seeking, they are required topass a validation practical test. Thistest is a sampling of the examiner can-d i d a t e ’s technical knowledge to en-s u re the candidate has the ability toevaluate pilots and possibly flight in-s t ructors. If the individual does nothave an FAA pilot and/or flight instruc-tor certificate, such as a transitionflight instructor from an FAA re c o g-nized organization, then the examinercandidate is given an initial pilot and/orflight instructor practical test. Begin-ning in 2006 an examiner candidatewill not be invited to the initial seminarunless they hold an FAA flight instruc-tor certificate.

Upon completion of the practicaltest, the course continues with lec-t u res on the practical test standard s ,FAA certification files, and the S p o rtPilot Examiner Handbook. The fourlectures up to this point in the coursea re used to give the examiner candi-date the basic knowledge needed inorder to conduct a practical test in ac-cordance with FAA regulations, policy,and guidance. These tools are essen-tial in order to continue with the train-ing of the examiner candidate. At thispoint, the seminar changes focus tothe actual certification pro c e d u re s .The lecture now covers the develop-ment of a plan-of-action that is re-q u i red for every certification evalua-tion. The presentation provides thep ro c e d u res to be used by the exam-iner candidate in developing the plan-of-action. It gives helpful hints in or-ganiz ing the evaluat ion andconducting the oral and flight portions.The examiner candidates are asked todevelop a plan-of-action that will beused in a practice flight portion of thepractical test in their category / c l a s saircraft. Prior to conducting the flightportion, the instructors review the indi-

vidual plans-of-action and pro-vide feedback tothe examinercandidates.

The f l ightp o rtion of thepractical test isdesigned to givethe examinercandidate theo p p o rtunity topractice evaluat-ing one of theFAA instru c t o r s ’ability to fly anaircraft using theplan-of-action the examiner candidatedeveloped. Sometimes the FAA in-s t ructor is doing the best he or shecan do and still not meet the practicaltest standard tolerances. The exam-iner candidate is expected to deter-mine whether the maneuvers are sat-isfactorily accomplished or not. Thechallenge for the examiner candidateis to be able to properly determine ifthe standards are met. Candidatesquickly learn that gray areas do exist,but they are no longer flight instructorswhen perf o rming the role as a re p re-sentative of the Administrator.

As stated previously, the last exer-cise for the examiner candidates is todevelop a flight instructor plan-of-ac-tion. During this exercise, they outlinethe general organization of the practi-cal test and develop flight instru c t o rknowledge test questions that they willuse during the oral portion of the prac-tical test. This is probably the mostchallenging and fun part of the course.The examiner candidates try to get theFAA instructor to answer the ques-tions at the application level. The ex-aminer candidates learn quickly that itis a lot harder then it appears and real-ize that preparation is essential regard-less of the level of certification.

At the conclusion of the seminar,the time for designation occurs. Themanager of the Light Sport Av i a t i o nBranch designates the successful ex-aminer candidates as Sport Pilot Ex-aminers (SPE). If, during the course,the instructors determine an examinercandidate has demonstrated excep-

tional knowledge of the cert i f i c a t i o nprocedures, the instructors will recom-mend the individual be designated aS p o rt Pilot Flight Instructor Examiner(SFIE). An SPE conducts only pilot ini-tial certification. SFIEs can conductinitial flight instructor with Sport Pilotprivileges evaluations.

T h roughout the seminar the ex-aminer candidates are asked to partic-ipate in all discussions. Maximumtime is spent in hands-on-exerc i s e swith the FAA files that are associatedwith certification. The examiner candi-dates are constantly directed to thetools that they will be using while per-f o rming duties as an SPE and SFIE.The individuals that have completedthis program successfully have shownthey are willing to work hard to be-come the subject matter experts in theS p o rt Pi lot community and wil lings e rve as re p resentatives of the FA AAdministrator and their respective avi-ation communities.

If you have any questions aboutthe Sport Pilot Examiner pro g r a m ,please feel free to contact the LightS p o rt Aviation Branch in OklahomaC i t y, OK, at 405-954-6400 or<[email protected]>. Yo ucan also write to AFS-610, P.O. Box25082, Oklahoma City, OK, 73125.Information concerning Sport Pilot andLight Sport Aircraft programs can beobtained at <afs600.faa.gov>.

M a rt in Weaver is Manager ofFlight Standards’ Light-Sport Av i a t i o nBranch.


3


As I noted in the Editor’s Runwayon the inside back cover of this issue,editorially, summer is gone and wintercometh. What this means for manypilots and aircraft owners in the snowbelt is a long, dark, cold period beforespring flying starts again. In somecases, this is because of the type ofa i rcraft involved. In other cases, it isbecause of the general inconvenienceof flying in the cold and snow. Snowand frost removal takes all the fun outof preflighting an aircraft on a coldJanuary day. Now if you live in Florida,Arizona, or Hawaii, you may not un-derstand what it is like to preflight inthe cold, but please read on.

I spoke with a pilot of a weight-shift trike aircraft at the Sun ‘n Fun Fly-in last April in Florida. Although it wasT- s h i rt and shorts weather on theg round at the time, he told of flyingdown the coast of Florida at about3,000 feet while wearing an insulatedsnowmobile outfit. He said he wasc o m f o rtable at altitude, but he wassweating because of the heat when hehad to land to refuel.

For those intrepid aviators who flyopen or open cockpit type airc r a f tsuch as this trike pilot or some of theultralight or light sport aircraft duringthe winter, they have to not only en-sure their aircraft are prepared for thecold, but they themselves must alsobe prepared. Without proper clothingand facial protection, they risk not onlyhyperthermia, but also frostbite on anyexposed skin.

In the case of enclosed cockpitaircraft with airborne heating systems,their pilots may be more comfort a b l ein flight, but they face another type of

danger unique to aircraft with cert a i ntypes of heaters. That is the risk thattheir heaters may be leaking carbonmonoxide (CO) gas into the cockpit.Carbon monoxide is a deadly gas be-cause it effectively prevents the bloodfrom absorbing oxygen vital to life. Asnoted in the FAA’s Pilot’s Handbook ofA e ronautical Knowledge, FA A - H -8083-25, on page 15-2, under thegeneral chapter title, Enviro n m e n t a land Health Factors Affecting Pilot Per-f o rmance, the handbook describesthe various types of hypoxia that pilotsneed to be aware of. Under the sub-heading of Hypemic Hypoxia, it statesone of the types of hypemic hypoxia iswhen, “...hemoglobin, the actual bloodmolecule that transports oxygen, ischemically unable to bind oxygen mol-ecules. The most common form ofhypemic hypoxia is carbon monoxidepoisoning.”

Since many general aviation air-craft use part of the exhaust system toheat the air going into the cockpit, air-craft owners and pilots need to beaware of the fact that a hole or crackin the portion of the exhaust systemthat the heater shroud surrounds canallow exhaust gas to enter the cockpitalong with the heated air. This type ofheater is the most common type ofheating systems installed in manygeneral aviation aircraft. The othertype of heating system used in othergeneral aviation aircraft is basically asmall, fuel-fed “furnace” that heatsram air that is directed into the cock-pit. A defective or worn furnace canallow combustion products, which in-cludes CO, to enter the cockpit. In ei-ther system, the best defense is a

p roperly inspected and functioningheating system.

THE DANGERS OF CARBONMONOXIDE

To reduce the risk of CO enteringthe cockpit along with heated air,some pilots buy one or more of thevarious types of chemical and elec-t ronic CO detectors that can be in-stalled in an aircraft to detect danger-ous levels of CO. Pilots should reviewthe latest handbooks and manufactur-ers’ guidance for more detailed infor-mation on how to recognize and copewith a heating system that is perm i t-ting CO to enter the heating system.At a minimum, pilots should, if sus-pecting a CO leak in their airc r a f t ,close or shut off the heating systemand open any fresh air vent or ventsas applicable.

According to the Pilot’s Handbookof Aeronautical Knowledge, some ofthe first symptoms of hypoxia includeeuphoria and a carefree feeling. Withmore oxygen starvation, it says “...thee x t remities become less re s p o n s i v eand flying becomes less coordinated.”Other signs may include cyanosis(blue fingernails and lips), headache,d e c reased reaction time, impaire djudgment, visual impairment, dro w s i-ness, lightheaded or dizzy sensation,tingling in fingers or toes, and numb-ness. The handbook noted that al-though symptoms vary by individual,these symptoms are common. A hid-den danger in all of these is the factthat when a pilot needs to be the mosta w a re that a problem is developing,the root cause of the problem may im-

Winter Cometh — Keeping Warm On A Cold Winter Day


pair the pilot’s judgment to the pointthe pilot may not want or be able totake effective action to correct thep roblem. Corrective actions for hy-poxia include using supplemental oxy-gen, flying at a lower altitude, shuttingo ff the source of CO, and bre a t h i n gfresh air when able.

PREPARING THE AIRCRAFT

Checking the aircraft’s heater sys-tem is only one of the checks aircraftowners and pilots should be aware ofwhen preparing an aircraft for winteroperations. As I said in the Editor’sRunway, the aircraft’s flight and main-tenance manuals are the best sourcesof information for preparing your air-craft for winter operations. The sameis true of your airc r a f t ’s maintenancepersonnel. They know their localarea’s weather conditions and how toservice your aircraft.

PREPARING THE PILOT

The real challenge for safe winterflight may be preparing the pilot. Inaddition to preparing their aircraft andheating system for winter operations,pilots need to review material for theirown benefit.

For example, now would be agood time to review your own deci-sion-making criteria. What are yourdecision-making limitations for winterflights? If your aircraft is not approvedfor flight into known icing conditions,have you considered under whatweather forecast conditions will youlaunch? What are your divert criteria?

Have you reviewed the FAA’s reg-ulations applicable for your pro p o s e dflight? Have you reviewed the currentNotices to Airm e n ( N O TAM) for anyre p o rts for your airport of depart u reand landing? Flying to an airportclosed for snow removal can make fora long day.

Do you have the appropriate sur-vival equipment for your route offlight? FAA Aviation News c o n t i n u e sto support the well-publicized view-point that you should wear what youwant to walk home in when going fly-ing during the winter. A year or so

ago, there was a well-publicized reportof a winter accident out west in themountains where one of the survivorswas wearing shorts. After all, no oneplanned to walk home in the snowwhen the fl ight departed. Cert a i na reas of Canada and the State ofAlaska have re g u l a t o ry re q u i re m e n t sfor specific types and amounts of sur-vival equipment.

Have you considered the best useof inhabited areas and routes alonghighways and other populated are a sto be near help in case of an accidentor precautionary landing off airport? Inmany cases, a safer route may onlyadd a few extra miles to your flightplan while increasing your odds of res-cue significantly.

Do you have a plan to deice ord e f rost your aircraft in case it getssnow covered or exposed to fre e z i n grain? From fuel tanks to control sur-faces to landing gear, have you con-sidered how you would deice your air-craft? If you have a retractable geara i rcraft, does your flight manual re c-ommend you leave the gear down alittle longer after takeoff to help blowoff any potential source of freezing liq-uid before retracting the gear. Therehave been cases where wheels havef rozen in the “up” position. Do youhave a plan for dealing with slush andfreezing rain and snow on your landinggear as you taxi out for takeoff andafter landing? What about frost onyour wings?

When was the last t ime youchecked your pitot’s heating system?

What is your plan for starting youra i rcraft if your battery dies? Do youknow how to protect your airc r a f t ’sbattery when the temperature is belowfreezing? Do you know how to jump-s t a rt your aircraft? Does it have anyspecial safety precautions for jump-s t a rting? Considering the risks ofhand propping an aircraft with snow orice on the ground, do you have a planand a safe method for hand proppingyour aircraft if you decide to do so?

Do you have a plan for operatingon a slippery runway and ramp area?

With all of the news stories aboutthe dangers of super-cooled waterd roplets, have you considered or

know how your aircraft might performwith a significant amount of ice at-tached to it?

Do you know the capabilities ofthe various types of deicing and anti-icing fluids available? Are they ap-p roved for your particular type air-craft? Some fluids have a minimumrotation speed necessary so that thefluid will blow off the aircraft. Is youra i rc r a f t ’s rotation speed fast enoughfor the available fluid?

SUMMARY

These are only a few of the thingsa well-pre p a red aviator or airc r a f towner needs to think about when op-erating in snow country. FAA haspublished many snow and winter op-erations advisory circulars as well asother safety recommendations forthose operating in snow country.Those living full-time in the snow beltshould be aware of how to operatesafely when the landscape turns whiteand cold, but everyday new pilots arec e rtificated and new and old pilotsf rom the sun-belt venture into thef rozen north. They may not know orremember the safe operating tech-niques needed to flying in the coldareas and especially during the limiteddaylight hours we all have during thewinter months. For those pilots, werecommend they contact the FlightS t a n d a rds District Off ice (FSDO)Safety Program Manager (SPM) in thea rea they are planning to visit for thelatest safety information. The SPMmay refer you to one of the off i c e ’svolunteer aviation safety counselorswho may be an expert on winter oper-ations in that area for more advice.

Winter can be a beautiful and safeseason for flying as long as you andyour aircraft are properly prepared forits unique challenges. The secret issimple. It is the same for any season.With proper planning, preparation, andgood risk management, you can havea safe and fun filled winter season.But the single most important safetypractice any pilot can do is to file andactivate, as appropriate, a flight plan.FAA Aviation News hopes every o n ehas a safe winter-flight season. 5


O nce a year, I quit pretend-ing to be the wellspring ofre g u l a t o ry knowledge andinvite you to come along

and take a look at an FAA inspector’sjob functions and examine the goodas well as all the accompanying wartsand blemishes of this government job.

In 2004, I wrote about how to be-come an FAA inspector in the AMT ar-ticle titled, “Crossing Over.” While thisFAA inspector’s job is the best one Iever had in aviation; in that article, Ionly pushed the positives of this job.This time around I will try to balancethat less than notable contributions toj o u rnalism by letting you take a peekbehind the curtain and look at some ofthe negatives of this job—like doing ane n route inspection and riding on ajump seat.

What the general public fails to re-alize that second only to investigatinga fatal accident the next least favoritething for an FAA inspector to do is toperform an enroute inspection. Whileit appears glamorous to sit up there inthe front office with a 180-degree viewof the world at 35,000 feet, the tru t his, en routing is not a fun thing to do.

Getting a SeatThere are two ways for an FAA in-

spector to get on a jump seat. Thefirst is to show up at the gate unan-nounced and request a jump seat.This direct approach throws the gateagent into a low level conniption fit be-cause, on top of everything else that isgoing wrong that day, now the FA Ashows up and this guy wants to do aninspection! Witnessing a normally nicepeople person unravel under all thatp re s s u re is not pleasant. The secondoption is to phone the carrier a day ortwo ahead of time and get a hold ofthe airline jump seat coordinator toschedule a seat. This is my personalchoice. While it is true you lose the el-ement of surprise at the gate, my wayis a bit more civilized.

Once you get the coordinator onthe phone, you provide the who, what,when, where, and why inform a t i o nalong with your ID number. Since myID number is way under 3,000 theyknow right off that I am an old dog. Sodue to my advanced years, he givesme a modicum of respect as hechecks the computer for jump seat

a v a i l a b i l i t y. If there is no one listed,then I have the seat.

Scrutiny by the TSANext hoop to jump through is the

TSA security checks at the airport .My job requires me to dress in a suitcoat and tie. However, the only otherpeople in the queue that are dre s s e dup like me are pilots, cre w m e m b e r s ,or Federal Air Marshals. Everyone elsein line, young or old, looks like they areon their way to a rock concert orbeach party, so naturally I stand out.

At the entrance to the TSAs c reening line, I flash my FAA ID andjump seat form to the uniform TSAagent. The immediate reaction to myID is either suspicion that I am pack-ing, or some inbred fear that I am as e m i - i m p o rtant government off i c i a lthat they haven’t been trained to han-dle. So the predictable response isthey put a little check mark on myjump seat form. What that little markmeans is when I get to the X- ray ma-chine and show the screeners thef o rm; the only thing they see is thecheck mark. So I get pulled out of lineand get treated to a special inspection

by Bill O’Brien

behind the privacy screens.Now I am well aware that the FAA

and TSA have a memorandum of un-derstanding (MOU) that says once theFAA inspector shows his ID andbadge, he or she just goes thro u g hthe line without being frisked. The re-ality is TSA suffers from frequent per-sonnel turnover at many airports, sothe word about the MOU never filtersdown to the new guy. So rather thanfight the system, it is easier for me tospend the next couple of minutes get-ting my stocking feet wanded. The al-t e rnative is to wait 15 minutes for aTSA supervisor to show up and haveto tell him who I am, show him my IDall over again, and explain what I amdoing in his airport, all dressed up.

The Gate AgentTrying to make up lost time I half

run, half walk through the terminal withmy shoelaces still untied until I arr i v eat my gate slightly winded and di-sheveled. I again introduce myself tothe gate agent and show my ID. Theagent then types in about 300 key-s t rokes into her computer until shemutters, “there you are!” This is com-puter talk that means I am in the sys-tem. The agent then trades my FA Ajump seat form for a boarding pass.Then I politely ask if I can board withthe crew, so I can make proper intro-ductions and swap IDs before thepassengers’ board.

At most airports the airplane is sit-ting at the gate and the crew is al-ready on board. So the gate agent,who is secretly glad to get rid of me,punches in the door code at the gated o o r, opens it, and sends me downthe jet way, un-escorted. Since mostjet-ways are at least 60 feet long, Istop about halfway down, lean againstthe handrail, tie my shoes, straightenmy tie, and make sure I can representthe FAA in a professional way.

Cabin CrewWhen I step from the jet-way to

the aircraft, a flight attendant gre e t sme. Her keen eyes scan me as if I ama potential ax murd e re r. While I ambeing checked out, I already knowwhat she is thinking. It’s either “No

one told me we were boarding,” or“Who is the guy in the suit? He’s tooold to be an air marshal.” Soon theother flight attendants gather aro u n d ,and once again I show the FAA ID andtell them that I will be in the cockpit forthe whole flight. I also tell them that Iwill play the role of the second personin the cockpit when one of the pilotstakes a potty break. Well, of course,now they are all smiles at that bit ofgood news and they offer me meals,w a t e r, coffee, magazines, or anythingelse they think I would want, becausenow I am the captain’s problem, nottheirs.

I do have one f light attendants t o ry to tell. It was at Dulles Airport ,about four years ago and I was on myway to the west coast. The flight wasscheduled out in 90 minutes but,since a crewmember was on board ,the ramp agent allowed me to boardearly. At the left main entrance door, Iwas met by a 20-year old flight atten-dant. She had less than three monthson the job and she was still bubblyand talkative about her new glam-orous aviation career. Half listening toher life’s story, I showed her my ID andwas about to ask her where the rest ofthe crew was, when she continued ina gushy fashion that I was the firstFAA inspector that she had ever metand said that she just had to hugme—and she did!

It was a full face-to-face thre e -second hug, not a quick squeeze, or afriendly off to the side clutch. Thiswas the real thing! I was stunned! Iwas 58 years of age at the time; myface was about as attractive as awedding cake left out in the rain. Noone, absolutely no one outside of mywife and mom, goes out of their wayto hug me, and I like it that way.

But I can remember time slowingdown when she hugged me andthinking: This is nice, followed instantlyby the question, “why is she doingthis?” Then a nano second later I re-m e m b e red what my Dad told meyears ago when he was being huggedby a l l the young women at mybrother’s wedding years ago and I kid-ded him that Mom would get afterhim. My Dad who was in his late fifties

at the time, stuck his finger in mychest and told me, “Son when ayoung woman hugs you when you aremy age, it’s only because they figureyou are either too old or harmless!”

I lost my mind! Old I am! Harm-less I am not! For the next 20 minutesI had that flight attendant ru n n i n garound the cabin showing me carry onoxygen bottles, mega-phones, safetydemonstration gear, the latest revisionto her flight attendant manual; askingher questions on use of door slides,how to handle a passenger who is soheavy he can’t get a seat belt on, andon and on until my blood pressure re-t u rned to normal. When it was over,she said with the proper amount of re-spect, “Mr. Inspector, I never had acabin inspection like that one, eventhe company’s final exam was not thatbad.” With my tattered dignity firmly inplace, I said, “And you never wil lagain, unless you try to hug anotherFAA inspector!”

Meeting the CaptainAirline captains come in many

sizes, shapes and genders—but onlytwo types. There are the military re-servist/ex-military type or the guy whocame up through the civilian aviationroute. All are competent flyers, butthe military types have this air aboutthem that the left seat of power be-longs to them as if it was predestinedto be theirs before they were born .This guy wants everything formal andwants to be called captain!

The civilian trained captain is stillamazed that he is now sitting in leftseat and considers himself extre m e l ylucky to be there and always intro-duces himself using his first name.After the mandatory shaking of handscomes the exchange of ID. I showthem my FAA “creds,” they show metheir pilot certificates and medical, andI write down their name and numberand check the date on the medicals tosee if they are current.

One of my checks is to see if theysigned their pilot’s certificates. Yo uwould be surprised to learn that manypilots forget this little, but import a n t ,detail. One ex-military type, who firstregarded me like I had head lice, gave


me his temporary pilot certificate witha new type rating, but the signatureblock was blank. I looked at the certifi-cate and looked back at him. Helooked at the certificate and lookedbacked at me and nervously said,“What are you going to do to me?”

Savoring the little bit of tingle tomy central nervous system that alwayshappens when I wield the full weightand power of the bure a u c r a c y, Ipaused and very quietly said, “Cap-tain, I am going to give you my pen soyou can sign your name on the certifi-cate.” I was his best friend for the restof the flight.

After the ID check I then give theflight crew my 20-second briefing thatI have rehearsed and refined over thelast two decades. I first tell them that Iam an airw o rthiness inspector who ism o re interested in the nuts and boltsof the aircraft then I am in their flyingabilities. That statement almost alwaysrelaxes the flight cre w. I next coverthe emergency pro c e d u res, oxygenmask, communications, logbook, ster-ile cockpit, and opening and securingthe cockpit door. The captain, nowsatisfied that I have done this before ,goes out to brief the cabin crew andthe co-pilot does the walk around.

As the time for depart u re getsc l o s e r, the activity in the cockpit in-creases. I test my oxygen mask andpressure, copy information off the air-w o rthiness certificate and re g i s t r a t i o nf o rms mounted on the bulkhead orcockpit door, and check the logbook.Then I set my radio for ATC and cock-pit intercom and plug in my headset.A round the same time I ensured thatall bags are tied down and pilots areseated and belted, the flight attendantappears and gives us the head countand re p o rts that the passengers areseated and the main cabin doors areclosed and the cabin is ready for take-off. When she closes the cockpit doorthat is the time for me to get into thejump seat.

The SeatJump seats are small, little fold

out things that are hidden away in thecockpit on purpose, as if somethingwas wrong with them. Nevert h e l e s s


they are shrewdly designed to slideout of bulkheads or attached dire c t l yto bulkheads or slide along fixed railsriveted to the bulkhead. They havetricky little locks, knobs, handles, orcatches that are designed to makeyou look like an idiot the first time youare trying to get the seat in the downand locked position. The actual seatitself is not much bigger than a bed-pan and the seat cushion is as hardas a diamond, but not as comfortable.The seat’s lumbar support is as firmas wet bread. Now parked in the seat,you strap yourself in with a five-pointharness and remain frozen in place forthe duration of the flight striking apose similar to a hood ornament on a‘48 Buick.

While the bigger wide body air-craft jump seats are more comfortableand rate a solid three on the comfortscale, with 10 being equal to a La-Z-Boy™. The worst jump seats are onthe regional jets that rate a minus 47on the same scale. In those jumpseats you sit directly above the nosegear and behind the communicationspedestal that divides the two pilotsseats. In most regional jets you haveless than 10 inches between seat andthe center pedestal; so getting intothe jump seat is tough. For this rea-son, I tell both pilots that there is justno graceful way for me to get into theseat. So I warn them that if they don’twant to witness a sight that wouldfrighten women and children, it mightbe better for each of them to look outthe side windows until I am seated.

The signature of getting into eachjump seat is written on the shoes ofevery FAA inspector who inspects re-gional jets. If you look closely, you willsee little nicks and punctures in thetoes of the shoes. This is caused bythe shoes hitting the heads of rivetsand screws on the back of thepedestal. These deformities on theshoes are a mirror image of the nicksand punctures in the inspector’s scalpcaused by the interference fit betweenones’ head and the overhead circ u i tbreaker panel.

The rest of the r ide is pre t t ys t r a i g h t f o rw a rd and quietly pro f e s-sional, except at cruise where now I

noticed that unlike the pilots of fouryears ago who would talk about wine,women, and song, today’s’ pilots talkabout seniority, benefits packages,and job security.

One captain, in an attempt tomake me more talkative, asked mewhat I thought of the then new FA AA d m i n i s t r a t o r. I said nothing, butlooked up at the microphone for thecockpit voice re c o rder on the over-head panel. He noticed what I waslooking at and said, “If it bothers you,Mr. Inspector, I can pull the CVR circuitb re a k e r.” I replied with a slight smileon my face, “If you do that, I will haveto write you up.”

A round 130 miles out from thedestination airport, things get busyagain as we begin to descend. Ispend all my time looking outside thecockpit for aircraft or terrain that mightcause a quick end to this long ride.For some reason, excellent pi lotsmake lousy landings with an FAA in-spector on board. The mains touchdown like a feather, but the nosewheel always hits the ground hard. Sothis reverse pi le driving techniquetransmits the shock of landing right upt h rough my jump seat cushion to mylower back and spine. Taxiing in, be-tween back spasms, I created this littleode to a jump seat:

It’s a fact that all aircraft jump seatsare poorly designed.For all confer pain and suffering toone’s behind!

With regulatory power I could changethis evil perception.By requiring each aeronautical engi-neer to sit in his own creation.

Strap him down for two hours of take-offs and landings is what I seek!This will give him new insight into theold proverb ”turn the other cheek!”

Bill O’Brien is a NationalResourceSpecialist in Flight Standards Service’sAviation Maintenance Division. This ar -ticle first appeared in AMT Magazine.

5

where both pilots went astray and thepilots allowed as how they were bothculpable and vowed to do bettergoing forw a rd. After handshakes allaround, the matter was closed.

A Bit of History

In the 1970s, the FAA re a l i z e dthat it needed to be more proactive inp reventing accidents from happeningand instituted a test program to reachout into the general aviation commu-nity to try and accomplish the newmission. From that test pro g r a mcame the Accident Prevention Pro-gram and the first Aviation SafetyCounselors were called Accident Pre-vention Counselors.

Later, the FAA realized that not allmissteps in aviation result in an acci-dent and the mission was broadenedto include additional duties such asidentification of potential unsafe prac-tices including non-pilot practices.The name was changed to the Av i a-tion Safety Program and the chart e rbecame what it is today.

Each FSDO has a Safety ProgramManager (SPM) and each RegionalHQ has a variant of the same off i c echarged with coordinating activities ofall FSDOs within their jurisdiction.

The local SPM appoints individu-als that have volunteered to serv e ,without pay or compensation of anykind, as a local re s o u rce for pilotsbased at or near specific airports.

The ASCs conduct safety pro-grams in support of the Wings pro-gram––more on that in a moment––aswell as provide counsel to people in-volved with aviation.

They are also on the look out forpotential system problems, such asconfusing airspace issues and dan-gerous obstacles around airports and

tually develop.Now the Unicom comes alive with

a torrent of abuse—each directed atthe other—and serving no purposeother than to provide salve to dam-aged egos. After all: it had to be theother guy’s fault.

Once on the ground, the two shutdown and bail out of their flying ma-chines, eager to continue the arg u-ment in full cry in front of any and allwithin earshot (or perhaps in spite ofany and all within earshot).

Into the maelstrom walks the oldg re y b e a rd who listens for a momentand then says:

“Hi. My name is John Loughmillerand I’m an Aviation Safety Counselorwith the FA A’s Louisville Flight Stan-d a rds District Office. I wonder if Imight have a word with you two?”

Silence. Suddenly the two pilots––ready to

re s o rt to f ist icuffs a momentsago––now perceive they have a muchbigger problem than who cut offwhom.

Of course, there is no such prob-lem. Aviation Safety Counselors(ASC) are not, repeat not, junior “G”men. ASCs exist to help, period. Wecannot arrest, detain, harass, or oth-e rwise legally prevent a person fro mkilling him or herself. Instead we tryour best to mitigate potential pro b-lems, educating and mentoring wher-ever and whenever we can. [Ofcourse, if you become particularly ob-noxious to an ASC he or she can andprobably will discuss the situation witha superior at the Flight Standards Dis-trict Office (FSDO) but an ASC is ap-pointed by the FAA to help pilots andothers involved with aviation, not toharass them].

In the above example, a few sug-gest ions were made pointing out

I t’s a mid-afternoon Sunday in latesummer on a see forever kind ofday. Two airplanes are convergingon the local airpatch’s active ru n-

way. One is on downwind in the pat-tern, having just done a touch and go,whereas the other is in the midst of along straight-in approach to the activerunway. The aviator flying the straight-in approach made an announcementfive miles out that he intended to con-duct a straight-in approach. The air-craft in the pattern has not made atransmission for several circuits.

On the ground, an old gre y b e a rdis watching the proceedings and not-ing the lack of chattiness between thetwo pilots. He’s somewhat concernedbecause statistically today is the per-fect set up for a midair collision: Mid tolate afternoon on a weekend summerday at an uncontrolled airfield whenVFR conditions prevail.

The aircraft in the pattern turn sbase without any radio chatter. Thestraight-in traffic doesn’t see the othera i rcraft because he’s focusing on theVASI and a bit of chop caused by atransition from trees to a cultivatedfield that abuts the runway. He hasn’tspoken on the radio since announcinghis intentions three miles back.

Suddenly the straight-in pilot seesmovement out of the corner of his eye.I t ’s the other aircraft turning base tofinal. That aircraft’s pilot has decidedto cheat the “base to final turn” a bitand is rapidly converging on the otheraircraft. Unfortunately, his view of thataircraft is blocked by his bank angle.

The straight-in pilot pulls up andbanks hard away from the converginga i rcraft and the other pilot belatedlysees the second airplane and turn shard the other way, nearly causing anaccelerated stall in the pro c e s s — adisaster at his altitude if allowed to ac-


Uncle Sam Wants You

Becoming an Aviation Safety Counselorby John Loughmiller

helicopter landing sites.Once a year they attend a recerti-

fication and standardization sessionand on occasion work directly with theFAA inspectors to counsel an airm a nwho has strayed a bit over the line,but not enough to warrant an off i c i a laction.

A Few Good Men – andWomen.

Like the title of the article says:Uncle Sam Wants You.

Finding and keeping highly moti-vated Aviation Safety Counselors is afull time job for the Safety Pro g r a mManager at each of the FAA FSDOs.One reason for this is the general fly-ing public believes that to be ap-pointed to any position by the FAA youmust be three meters tall and coveredwith hair (for the men at least) – a leg-end in your own time, Yeager andL i n d b e rg rolled into one all knowing,all seeing body.

Fortunately, none of this is true. Ifit were, I certainly couldn’t qualify tobe a counselor.

Although it helps if you’re a CFI,you don’t have to be one. If fact, aprivate pilot’s certificate will do just finesince there is no requirement that youeven have a pilot’s certificate. Whatthe FAA is looking for is a dedicationto safe practices and willingness tomake yourself available to further thecause of aviation safety. If you careabout helping your fellow pilots stayalive and you enjoy hangar flying, youshould look into obtaining an ASC ap-pointment.

Becoming an AviationSafety Counselor

To begin, simply contact yourn e a rest FAA Flight Standards DistrictOffice and ask to speak to the SafetyProgram Manager. (You can find a listof FSDOs at <http://www. f a a . g o v /a b o u t / o ff i c e _ o rg / f i e l d _ o ff i c e s / f s d o / > )

The Safety Program Manager willask you what airport(s) you fre q u e n tand consult his list of ASCs to see ifhe or she has that area covered. Ifnot, a short Q&A will follow and you’ll

likely be asked to drop by and visitwith the SPM for a chat. (Every o n egets nervous about “dropping by theFAA for a chat,” but in this case, it re-ally is just a chat.)

The SPM will want to gauge yourdedication to the mission and try todetermine if you are interested enoughto attend the annual re c e rt i f i c a t i o nsessions, conduct safety meetings,counsel airmen and submit the re-q u i red monthly re p o rts via the FA A’sSPANS web site.

If all goes well, you’ll be advisedthe next date when training will beheld and, following that one day stan-d a rdization course, you’ll become anASC.

Duties and Rewards

Studies have shown that pilotswho take part in the FAA’s Pilot Profi-ciency Aw a rd Program (AC 61-91H)better known as the WINGS programdrastically reduce their likelihood ofbeing involved in an aviation accident.The WINGS program there f o re is acenterpiece of the FA A’s entire safetyprogram.

Attending a safety meeting andthen flying three hours with a CFI is allt h a t ’s re q u i red to receive one of theWINGS phase award certificates andlapel pin and, as a bonus, you don’thave to obtain a BFR for 24 monthsafter you complete the training.

These safety programs are one ofthe responsibilities of the ASCs. Yo usimply find a sponsor––surprisinglyeasy to do––and then schedule ameeting. The FAA will mail out the in-vitations and also promote meetingson the SPANS web site< h t t p : / / f a a s a f e t y.gov/> to those air-men that have re g i s t e red to re c e i v eFAA news.

The FSDO’s Safety Program Man-ager will help you and even attend themeetings if you like. And he or she willalso make the library of FAA publica-tions and programs available to youfor use at the meetings.

As an ASC, you will be lookedupon by your fellow pilots as a sourceof information––a person who can bea go between with the FAA on some

matters––and someone who can clar-ify conflicting advice pilots may receivesuch as the best way to navigatethrough the local maze of special useairspace, how to work with the localTRACON (Te rminal Radar Control) toget flight following, etc., etc.

But what about the counselingduties you ask?

Yes, you are expected to counsele rrant aviators and others. You arenot expected to be confrontational orpushy––in fact, if you are, you won’tbe an ASC for long. If someone does-n’t want your help, fine, you don’t offerit again. But if you consider a personto be engaging in dangerous practicesand that person tells you to buzz off,you do alert the SPM and let the Prosfrom Dover deal with it.

If you’re a CFI, the local FSDO in-spectors may ask you to ride with apilot to correct techniques or mindsetsthat are not sufficiently bad to requireofficial FAA action, but do need somegentle persuasion.

The rewards? Not money and notprestige. If you seek appointment foreither of those reasons, you’re barkingup the wrong tree. You have to gen-uinely want to help your fellow pilots;aviation technicians and aviation sup-p o rt personnel become safer, moreprofessional in their actions.

The FAA rewards counselors with“ASC of the Year” recognition and alsorelies on them to nominate Flight In-s t ructors, Avionics Technicians, andAviation Maintenance Technicians forannual honors as well. You get tohang out with pilots and do serioushangar flying that results in maybesaving someone’s life. Most of all, youcan make a diff e rence. When youhelp someone avoid a pitfall that mighthave resulted in something truly badhappening, that’s all the re w a rd youwill ever need.

John Loughmiller is a 4,000+ hourCFIIMEI-A and an Aviation SafetyCounselor with the FA A’s Louisville,Kentucky FSDO. This article originallyappeared in the Cessna Owner maga -zine and is reprinted with perm i s s i o n .


5

I nto every life a little rain must fall!And after the last two articles Ihave been walking around in atropical rainstorm! Yep! I inadver-

tently lead you down the primro s epath with incorrect or missing informa-tion. I would like to make amends byc o rrecting those omissions and ex-plaining them.

Te m p o r a ry Fl ight Restr ict ions(TFR’s) have been in our flying lives fora long while. After September 11,2001, they have been popping up inlocations never before considere d .National security was the by-word ando rders and direction for implementa-tion of many of the TFRs were issuedthrough other agencies of the Federalgovernment outside of the FAA.

As I was l isting the additionalmeans and ways to gather informationon them, I made the assumption thatevery person reading the article knewof the services provided by Flight Ser-vice Station (FSS) personnel. Theses e rvices include being your primarys o u rce of information for weatherbriefing, flight plan filing, and thosee v e r- i m p o rtant Notices To Airm e n(NOTAM) concerning TFRs.

The friendly briefer will make thepilot aware of all the weather pertinentto the proposed flight path as well asinclude those NOTAMs that may lienear the proposed flight path. As allFAA certificated pilots learn from theirfirst days of flight instruction, the FSSis the starting point for all flights. It isalso the primary point for current infor-

mation that is pertinent to safe flightoperations.

All the web sites mentioned in theTFR article are very good areas forgathering information and crosscheck-ing data on TFR’s. However, a goodweather and flight planning briefingshould start with a call to Flight Ser-vice. The telephone number to con-tact your local FSS is toll free 1-800-WXBrief (1-800-992-7433).

Now let me talk a bit about flota-tion gear. Yes! Title 14 Code of Fed-eral Regulations (14 CFR) parts 121and 135 operations must adhere tothe regulations for the safety of theirpassengers. Flights that are “ex-tended over water,” “over water,” or“beyond gliding distance from shore ”all re q u i re flotation gear, rafts, emer-gency supplies, and/or signalingequipment pending on the type offlight and location.

The problem that was pointed outto me was a misinterpreted and oftenf o rgotten regulation. I might add theperson that pointed this out was a fel-low FAA Aviation Safety Inspector inmy Branch the day the magazine ap-p e a red on the street! He was right!The regulation I missed was 14 CFRp a rt 91, subpart C, 91.205 (b) (12).The basic regulation is titled, “Equip-ment, Instrument, and Certificate Re-quirements.”

This regulation lists all the equip-ment needed for day, night, and in-strument flight that pertain to the safeoperation of the aircraft and pro v i d e

for the safety of the passengers.There are two portions of this one reg-ulation that refer to operations “forhire.” One section, 91.205 (c) (4), re-q u i res an operable landing light if theflight is for hire. The other is the one Imissed in my last article. It re q u i re ssome part 91 operations to have flota-tion devices (gear) onboard for eachoccupant of the aircraft.

This regulation states, “(12) If theaircraft is operated for hire over waterand beyond power-off gliding distancef rom shore, approved flotation gearreadily available to each occupant andat least one pyrotechnic signaling de-vice. As used in this section, ‘shore ’means that area of the land adjacentto the water which is above the highwater mark and excludes land are a swhich are intermittently under water. ”

Allow me to try and clear up oneof the more misunderstood segmentsof this regulation. Flight instruction, forsome reason, seems to fall into themissed box for the carriage of floata-tion gear. Flight instruction is a com-mercial operation (for compensation orh i re) that is operated under 14 CFRpart 91.

“ C o m m e rcial Operator means aperson who, for compensation or hire,engages in the carriage by aircraft inair commerce of persons or property,other then as an air carrier or fore i g nair carrier or under the authority of part375 of this title (14 CFR). Where it isdoubtful that an operation is for “com-pensation or hire,” the test applied is


Tales from anFAA Inspectorby Al Peyus

Correction and Beseeching Time

tions, but also those who fly underparts 101, 103, 133, and 137.

Each aircraft category re q u i re straining, experience, and practice toassure a safe operation. Only by hav-ing an understanding of the re g u l a-tions, receiving competent instruction,practice, a solid and detailed preflight,and a full and complete briefing can apilot assure a safe, fun, and enjoyableflight.

Now that you have allowed me tomake amends for my transgressions inpast articles, I have a request of you.My next article is aimed at winter flightoperations. November is almost rightaround the corner, and that brings allthe excitement the mind can handlewith snow, ice, fog, winds, contami-nated runways, cold temperature s ,first of the year heater use, and bulkyclothing while you try to fly your air-craft. If you would care to have an-other topic involving safety, flight oper-ations, regulations, National AirspaceSystem, communications, navigation,runway operations, or any “HangarTalk” topic that has a safety theme,please let me know and I shall re-spond to the most requested area ofrequests.

I can be reached through the FAAAviation News or through email at<[email protected]>. As always, Ilook forw a rd to your comments andrequests.


whether the carriage by air is mere l yincidental to the person’s other busi-ness or is, in itself, a major enterprisefor profit.” This is quoted from 14CFR part 1 definitions.

Compensation or for hire is alsonoted in 14 CFR section 61.113, Pri-vate Pilot Privileges and Limitations:Pilot In Command. This re g u l a t i o nstates the limitations concerning com-pensation or for hire that apply to pri-vate pilots acting as pilot in command.For example, subsection 61.113, (c)states, “A private pilot may not payless then the pro rata share of the op-erating expenses of a flight with pas-sengers, provided the expenses in-volve only fuel , o i l , airportexpenditures, or rental fees.” This ruleprevents a private pilot from receivingcompensation or for hire for such aflight. Because this type of flight is nota “for hire” flight, flotation gear is notrequired by section 91.205. However,common sense says flotation gear, al-though not re q u i red by re g u l a t i o n ,would for nice to have when overwater.

“Over Water” is a term used todescribe flights that are 50 nauticalmiles from shore. This is not to beconfused with another “over water”term that has additional requirements.

“Extended Over Water” involvesflights that operate at or beyond 100nautical miles from shore. Althoughthis term is not mentioned in the regu-lation in this discussion, it still comesup during any conversation aboutflight over water.

“Beyond Gliding Distance ofLand” is the term that is most misun-derstood and misinterpreted. And tomake matters worse, there are a tonof airports that are affected by thisone regulation!

Allow me the opportunity to ex-plain this one term so that we all canunderstand the very important impli-cations of this regulation and how ita ffects a large portion of pilots flyingtoday! This combination of five littlew o rds affects nearly EVERY airportthat lies next to or near a body ofwater! If any portion of the IFR or VFRa p p roach or traffic pattern takes thea i rcraft over the water at an altitude

that would place the aircraft belowgliding distance to the shore whilepreparing to land, it is that portion ofthe “for hire” flight that is re q u i red tohave flotation gear on board and ac-cessible to each occupant!

Just think of all the airports thatyou know of that are next to a lake, awide river, or along our coastals h o res. If any portion of the norm a lt r a ffic pattern or approach to the ac-tive runway takes the aircraft out overthe water and the flight is below 1,500feet above ground level (AGL), there isan excellent chance the flight needsflotation gear!

All the flight instructors out theremust take heed! If you fly from an air-p o rt along the coastal waters, theGreat Lakes, or any of the many thou-sands of lakes in our great country,and even rivers such as the Missis-sippi and Missouri, please take acloser look at 14 CFR section 91.205(b) (12)! If you are ever in doubt aboutif you have to comply with the regula-tion, please contact your local FSDO.They really are out there to help you!

Title 14 CFR holds thousands ofregulations that affect, in one part ora n o t h e r, every aircraft and vehicle.E v e ry machine that enters the Na-tional Air Space environment has atleast one or more regulations that itmust abide. This includes not onlyparts 121, 135, and 91 type of opera-

FAA’s Safety Hotline operates Monday throughFriday (except holidays) from 8 am to 4 pm ET.It provides a nationwide, toll-free telephoneservice, intended primarily for those in the avi-ation community having specific knowledge ofalleged violations of the federal aviation regula-tions. Callers’ identities are held in confidenceand protected from disclosure under the provi-sions of the Freedom of Information Act.

FAA’sSafety Hotline

W e all know the feeling.Sheer fright. That timeof year when we takethe physical to re n e w

our medical to prove that we are stillfit to fly. And with the physical comesall the stress and anxiety that we bringto the aviation medical examiner’s(AME) office.

Why are we so concerned, andwhat do we do about it?

Well, for some pilots who fly for aliving, it means their careers. For oth-ers, it may simply mean getting theirwings clipped.

To answer the many questionssurrounding the dreaded physical andto get more information as to what todo should something go wrong duringthe physical, we decided to go directlyto a FAA Regional Flight Surgeon, Dr.Paul Clark, located at the FAA Re-gional Office in Burlington, Mass.

Just mentioning the RegionalFlight Surgeon normally sends shiversup a pilot’s spine. Somehow, we thinkof the Flight Surgeon as a huge ogrewho sits high above in an ivory tower,much like the Grand Oracle of Delphi,and dispenses simple yes’s or no’s ,and mostly no’s on your medical.How surprised we were! No way, nohow is this true.

After meeting Dr. Clark, you re a l-ize how wrong we have been. Wefound him not only to be exceptionallyknowledgeable re g a rding aviationphysicals but very compassionate re-garding pilot problems.

But it ’s understandable. Hecomes from a “flying family.” His fa-ther was a top executive with a re-gional airline. He had two bro t h e r swho flew—-one retired from Delta Air-lines—and a sister who recently re-


tired number-one in seniority as a flightattendant for Air Canada.

D r. Clark, originally from Prince Ed-w a rd Island, served with the CanadianAir Force. He moved to Port l a n d ,Maine, in 1978, where he practicedmedicine and later, in 1982, became anaviation medical examiner for the FA A .In 1989, he moved to Nashua, NH, asFlight Surgeon at the Boston Center.

T h e re are nine regional flight sur-geons in the country, each responsiblefor the review of questionable medicalsin their respective region. The medicalc e rtification review program in the re-gions was recently increased by theFederal Air Surgeon to help alleviatethe tremendous workload handled bythe medical division in Oklahoma City.

A major step was recently estab-lished by the Federal Air Surgeon, JonL. Jordan, M.D., J.D., in an additionale ff o rt to reduce the delay in medicalc e rtification. Entitled Aviation MedicalE x a m i n e r-Assisted Special Issuance(AASI), Aviation Medical Examiners(AME) are now allowed to issue andreissue Special Issuance medicals forabout 20 medical conditions after ini-tial approval from FAA officials. Thisshould help reduce the backlog in Ok-lahoma City and allow pilots with rela-tively simple Special Issuance pro b-lems be approved on the spot in theAME’s office.

R e c e n t l y, Dr. Clark was amongseven medical officers that underw e n t28 hours of intensive work in Okla-homa City, generating 724 medical re-view decisions for airmen pendingneeded medical authorization to fly.This “Tiger Team,” as it is called, is anelite group of highly qualified expert sthat tackle time-sensitive pro b l e m s .The Medical Certification Division Man-

a g e r, Dr. Wa rren Silberm a n, i n i t i a t e dthe program to improve customer sat-isfaction by reducing a backlog ofcases. The intensive eff o rt highlightsanother step in the FA A’s commitmentto service medical cert i f i c a t i o n .

When asked what pilots could doto expedite their physical, Dr. Clarkreplied, “If you feel you have any med-ical problems such as high bloodpressure, eyesight, or other problems,i t ’s normally a good idea to see yourown doctor first to assess your condi-tion, and if necessary, resolve the con-dition before you meet with the AME.Oftentimes, your doctor can write al e t t e r, which will explain the situation.It’ll certainly facilitate any paperw o r kwith the FAA you might have to en-counter.

“Some people become anxiousabout the examination, and this, too,tends to raise blood pre s s u re. It’s the‘white coat syndrome.’ In some individ-uals, anxiety can raise the pre s s u res u b s t a n t i a l l y. Pilots who tend to be-come apprehensive should tell the AMEp ro m p t l y. It allows the doctor to takemultiple measurements for a more ac-curate reading. This is especially im-p o rtant when visiting a new doctor.

“Many pilots face this pro b l e meach year as their medical expirationdate rol ls near. The problem istwofold. First, aviation is one of thefew professions that re q u i re medicalcertification on an annual basis to per-form the job. Lose your medical andyou lose your livelihood. That, in itself,creates a lot of pressure. Second, pi-lots tend to be controllers. Pilot per-sonalities reveal that pilots are strong-wi l led leaders who l ike to be inc h a rge. They like to be in control ofday-to-day situations, and that trait is

The Dreaded MedicalJust mentioning the regional flight surgeon normallysends shivers up a pilot’s spine.

by Bill Cuccinello, (The author is a pilot and editor of the Hanscom Beacon.)


you’ve been taking ‘meds’ that aredisqualifying, don’t fly. Use your goodpilot judgment to decide if you’re safeto fly that day.”

D r. Clark went on to say, “If youhave some specific medical problemsand need more information, start withyour AME. A list of AMEs can befound on our CAMI web site.” In addi-tion, the Aviation Safety Counselors ofNew England list the regional AMEs ontheir web site.

Many pilots question eyesight sur-g e ry. Any vision corrective surg e rymust be re p o rted, if it has potentiallyadverse effects with flying duties. Thatalso includes lens implants. A re p o rtof your eye evaluation should be pre-sented to your AME. If you were toseek a commercial rating, in the pastthere were certain vision standards fora Class-II medical, but now there areno uncorrected limits, providing youreyesight is correctible to 20-20.

Many other cases re q u i re [that]you discuss medical issues with yourAME, such as benign positional ver-tigo, prostate cancer, diabetes melli-tus. In short, discuss any questionsyou might have with your AME prior tothe physical. If in doubt, you can al-ways call the Regional Flight Surgeon.

R e c e n t l y, the Sport Pilot ru l i n gcame into effect, stating that only ad r i v e r’s license is needed for a med-ical. But if you have [had] a denial, theSport Pilot rule states that if an individ-u a l ’s most recent application for anFAA medical certificate has been de-nied, suspended, or revoked, that per-son may not use a driver’s license as amedical certificate until the denial iscleared from the record.

Many conditions causing denial inthe past are no longer cause for de-nial. An estimated 80% of all denialsare simply caused by the applicant notc o rrectly providing all the paperw o r kor medical tests requested. Thesecan be corrected simply by pro v i d i n gthe missing information. Once therecord is cleared by the issuance of amedical certificate, the applicant neverneed go through this again but canuse the valid drivers license in lieu of amedical certificate.

And as we are all aware, gliders

(including motorgliders) and balloon li-censes do not require a medical or dri-ver’s license.

So if you lose your medical, it maynot necessarily mean that you mustgive up flying. Remember, if your med-ical is denied, you have the right to ap-peal. But a denial by the AME is not adenial by the Administrator, whereas adenial by the Federal Air Surgeon, theManager of the Certification Division inOklahoma City, or the Regional FlightS u rgeon is c o n s i d e red a denial by theA d m i n i s t r a t o r. Incidentally, if you are de-nied, you must (apply) request re c o n s i d-eration of the denial within 30 days; oth-e rwise, it is considered you accept thedenial and are withdrawing the applica-tion. Further information can be foundin Title 14 Code of Federal RegulationsP a rt 67, which outlines the appealp rocess for applicants who are deniedmedical cert i f i c a t i o n .

So as we mentioned, the dre a d e dphysical doesn’t real ly have to bed readed after all. There are many waysto fare better during the AME’s exami-nation. If you have a problem, contactyour regular doctor first to rectify the sit-uation or have him write a letter to theAME describing your plight. If in doubt,p resent the question to the RegionalFlight Surg e o n ’s off i c e .

As one pilot recently said to me aswe flew along, “We are the luckiestpeople in the world. Here we are, atour age, doing exactly what we wantto do—enjoying the freedom of theskies, the scenery below—and still onour way to that one hundred dollarcup of coffee. What a wonderful life!”

This article is reprinted with per -mission from the spring-winter issue ofthe Hanscom Beacon, a quart e r l ynewsletter for “pilots, mechanics, andanyone connected with aviation” inand around Hanscom Field. Locatedabout 20 miles northwest of Boston,MA, Hanscom Field is part of thetowns of Bedford, Concord, Lexing -ton, and Lincoln, world-renowned fortheir rich colonial history and tradition.On its south side, the airfield is bor -dered by one of the Commonwealth’smost important sites, Minute Man Na -tional Historic Park.

denied when a pilot walks into thedoctor’s office. Now someone else isin control, not only of the exam, but ofhis or her future as well.”

D r. Clark continues, “If you havequestions, you can always go to ourweb site, <http://www.cami.jccbi.gov/index.html>. That’s the main site forthe FAA Office of Aerospace Medicine,Civi l Aerospace Medical Inst itute(CAMI). There ’s a wealth of inform a-tion available there in addition to otherFAA web sites.”

The AOPA site also has a sectionon drugs or pharmaceuticals that areallowed while flying. Oftentimes, AMEsmay not be able to answer medicallyrelated flying questions. As Dr. Clarksays, “If your AME is not able to an-swer your question, feel free to callyour Regional Flight Surgeon dire c t .T h e re are always modifications orchanges being made, and usually theflight surgeon is kept abreast of them.”

One important aspect pi lotsshould appreciate— Regional FlightSurgeons don’t like to “clip the wings”of pilots. They realize many pilots de-pend on their physicals for their liveli-hood, while others simply enjoy theexcitement of flying in the wild blue.

“If your medical is denied,” sug-gests Dr. Clark, “don’t just automati-cally call it quits if you’re intent on fly-ing. Pursue it. Check to see whatmust be done to rectify the situation.”

“Only 0.7% of all airmen are de-nied certification. This is reduced toless than one-half of one perc e n twhen airmen follow up and pro v i d ethe requested information, certainly farbetter than the figures for life-insur-ance applicants. With appro x i m a t e l y450,000 pilot exams per year, that’s apretty good record.”

“ H o w e v e r,” as Dr. Clark explains,“there may be a time when we have tocall it quits. If, at any time, you feelyour reflexes are not up to par or youexperience any type of dizzy spells orstrange feelings, perhaps it’s time toreassess your health. Safe flying de-mands a pilot with good, pro f i c i e n tskills and a healthy condition.”

“ R e m e m b e r,” he continued, “onlyyou know how you physically feel. Ify o u ’ re t ired or stressed out, or i f

5


A s the Safety Program Man-ager I have the opport u n i t yto talk to air carrier opera-tors as well as the passen-

gers who trust their lives to those op-erators. History has shown thatweight and balance problems do exist,especially for smaller single engine air-craft. However, getting actual weightsof passengers can be a pro b l e m .Most people are not too happy about‘fessing up the few extra pounds thatthey carry on their bodies. In order toillustrate the situation I am going toconfess that it has happened to me. Itwas several years ago when I owned acharter service.

The mother and sister of a man,who worked for the company that Iflew for as their corporate pilot, wereflying into Los Angeles Intern a t i o n a lAirport (LAX). He scheduled me to goto Hawthorn Airport (it was impossibleto get clearance into LAX at the time)to pick them up. He was a ratherl a rge fellow. When asked how muchhe weighed he stated that he weighed180 pounds. Looking at him I ratherdoubted that. I asked him what hismother and sister weighed and howmuch luggage they were bringing withthem. He said they were smal lwomen and were traveling very light.Accepting his word on it we launchedto Hawthorn.

said something that had them shout-ing and shaking their heads in an obvi-ous gesture, that I did understand. Heturned back to me and shrugging hisshoulders said, “Sorry, they won’t hearof my staying here and they won’tleave their baggage here to getstolen.” I could understand that!

You know the mistake that youonce made (I am speaking in the uni-versal you) that made you a believer?Well, it was my turn. Trusting my fly-ing abili ty—if not my judgment—Iloaded, pushed, and crammed thebaggage in the aft baggage compart-ment and wedged the passengerspast the front seat and into the backseat, each holding HUGE handbags,the overnight cases placed on thefloor in front of them. I extended theseat belts to their max and secure dthem on mom and sis, said a ferventprayer to the lift god, and taxied fortake off.

Having watched me load theCessna 172RG the tower was curiousand asked ”Are you sure you want todo this?” I said “If I don’t have lift offby the last 2,000 feet of runway, I willa b o rt.” At almost 5,000 feet of ru n-way avai lable I fel t I could do it .Cocky, wasn’t I.

It was 70 degrees at 66 feet of el-evation, so trusting the old wives’ taleof a built in 50% fudge factor I

We should be fine on weight andbalance, I thought as I waited andwaited. Being bored at the time I ranthe weight and balance numbers as Ire m e m b e red the man telling me theyw e re. Weights were as follows: me,114, him, 180, mother, 120, sister,120, and about 50 pounds of bag-gage. So far so good, that is until Isaw the travelers and their escort re-turn to the ramp.

His mother was about 5’2” andabout as wide, I guessed 190 maybe,feeling generous. His sister was notfar behind maybe 5’3” and best guessabout 160. But the “light” baggagetook my breath away. Two small handc a rried overnight bags, two clothesbags, (stuffed to the max) two larg esuitcases, carried by the fellow whoh i red me and huge handbags thatlooked like the only thing left behindwas good sense. Okay, so we’re atmax gross weight or so. We hadburned off some fuel, but not much onthe 30-minute flight to Hawthorn.

I was in trouble! I pulled the at least 210 pound,

that said he weighed 180, guy aside. Iexplained to him, “We can’t take allthe luggage and passengers on onetrip. I can come back in a few min-utes for you.” His reply was to turn tohis mother and sister and speaking inG e rman, which I do not understand,

A Weighty Matterby Patricia Mattison


planned for a short field takeoff proce-d u re. Ten degrees of flaps, lean them i x t u re, and hold the brakes aspower came in. Releasing thebrakes, we were rolling and rolling androlling. There were buildings at theend of the runway, getting bigger andb i g g e r. Just about the time I wasready to abort the takeoff, the RGlifted off in ground effect and thenbegan a sloooow climb. Obviouslywe missed the buildings—bare l y.P robably scaring ten years of life offthe occupants, I’m sure that my pas-sengers were none too relaxed.

Gear up, climb, albeit slowly, to3,000 feet and aim for home. I wasso grateful for whatever sheer luck el-ement, prayers, or fudge factorCessna had built into this airc r a f t .The decision to go ahead and take offwith that load was a very stupid thingto do. If I had known the actualweight of the passengers and bag-gage, I would have taken the Cessna210 for the trip. Not only was it capa-ble of carrying more, but at the timethe 210’s fuel tanks were half full,m o re than enough for the trip. Il e a rned the hard way not to sway tothe egos of my passengers, and askfor actual weights. If I suspected thatfolks were not quite truthful abouttheir weight, I would have them usethe scale I later kept in the baggagecompartment. Explaining how impor-tant it was to have an accurate weightand balance.

Never again comes to mind. I re-a l ly did learn from that excit ingepisode in my life that computing anaccurate weight and balance is a life-saver.

This brings to mind the an oldstory here in Alaska that goes like this.

Some hunters hired an airc r a f tand pilot to take them hunting near alake. The agreement was that thepilot would return in three days to pickthem up. Three days passed and thefloatplane landed on the lake andwater taxied over to the hunters. Thehunt had been a success and theyhad bagged a moose. The pilot saidto the hunters “I can’t take you andyour gear and the moose on one trip.”The hunters argued with the pilot and

said, “Joe did it last year. We all haveto go because we have a flight hometo catch. Come on load the airplane”.The pilot figuring that if Joe did it lastyear it must be okay, so he loaded theairplane, moose and all. He taxied tothe end of the lake and gave theplane full power. Lifting off he couldsee that he wasn’t going to clear thetrees. Sure enough the plane crashed

in the woods. The pilot was okay andso were the hunters. The pilot felt badabout the crash and said so to thehunters. Their reply was, ”That’s okayyou got further than Joe did last year.”

Patricia Mattison is the SafetyProgram Manager at the Juneau FlightStandards District Office.

3

What Do You Weigh?This Safety First article titled “A Weighty Matter” highlights a critical flight

safety issue. As we go into winter, weight and balance (W&B) becomes an evenmore weighty matter (pun intended) because individually I think we all tend to adda few pounds of weight over the holidays. In addition to gaining weight, our win-ter clothing adds pounds and bulk that we may not think about. Add in the po-tential for a few pounds of ice or sludge on the aircraft and our aircraft weightcontinues to add up. Throw in a couple of quarts of oil and you can see wherewe are going. Then an inadvertent encounter with some freezing precipitation canmake a marginally stable aircraft over gross into a test flight for the unsuspecting“new test pilot.”

Although all pilots have to study weight and balance as part of their certifica-tion, the question is how many pilots routinely check their airc r a f t ’s weight andbalance? If they do check the aircraft’s W&B, are they using correct information?Aircraft tend to gain weight over time. Things like oil, chocks, tie-down gear, oldflight gear, handheld GPS and radio, charts, and newly installed avionics may notweight much individually, but collectively they all add up. Do you know what youraircraft weighs?

The importance of an accurate weight and balance check was highlighted bythe National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) Aircraft Accident Report on theAir Midwest Flight 5481, during business as US Airways Express flight 5481, atCharlotte, NC, on January 8, 2003. According to the NTSB’s Executive Summaryfor the accident that killed two flight crewmembers and 19 passengers, “The Na-tional Transportation Safety Board determines that the probable cause of this ac-cident was the airplane’s loss of pitch control during takeoff. The loss of pitchc o n t rol resulted from the incorrect rigging of the elevator control system com-pounded by the airplane’s aft center of gravity, which was substantially aft of thecertified aft limit.” In its detailed report, NTSB was critical of the maintenance fac-tors that resulted in the airplane’s misrigging.

But a key element in the Board ’s re p o rt noted both the company’s W&Bprocess, and the FAA’s W&B program guidance at the time of the accident con-tributed to the accident. At issue was the average passenger and baggageweights used in the company’s data and in the FAA’s W&B program weights.

Based upon the NTSB comments in this accident re p o rt and the naturalgrowth in both our aircraft’s weight and our own, the only accurate way to deter-mine your particular flight will be within the manufacturer’s recommended weightand balance limits is to actually weight everything that goes into your aircraft. Tobe safe, you can’t use rough estimates of someone’s weight. You don’t want tobe like old “Joe” who didn’t make it very far on last year’s moose hunting returnflight; you want to clear the trees and make it home.

Editor’s Note: For more information on weight and balance you can review theFAA’s Aircraft Weight and Balance Handbook, FAA-H-8083-1.

5


Beware...Many common items used everyday in the home or workplace may seem harmless, however,

when transported by air, they can be very dangerous. In flight, variations in temperature and pressurecan cause items to leak, generate toxic fumes or start a fire.

It’s the Law...You must declare your hazardous materials to the airline, air package carrier, or U.S. Postal Service.

Violators of Federal Hazardous Materials Regulations (49 CFR parts 171-180) may be subject to a civilpenalty of up to $32,500 for each violation and, in appropriate cases, a criminal penalty of up to$500,000 and/or imprisonment of up to 5 years.

Some common items containing regulated hazardous materials utilized in aviation include but arenot limited to: Flammable aerosol lubricants and cleaners, flammable or corrosive solvents, flammablepaints, flammable adhesives (gasket materials), flammable gas (butane/propane) powered torches andwelding equipment, non-flammable gas (oxygen and fire extinguishers), battery and gasoline poweredtools (cordless drills and cutting tools), aviation batteries, internal combustion engines retaining fluids,fuel system parts (fuel controls, fuel pumps, carburetors, fuel injectors, throttle bodies, fuel lines, etc),and fuel tanks.

Plan Ahead... Most hazardous materials are prohibited in checked or carry-on baggage.Some items may be shipped as air cargo. If you are unsure whether the item you wish to pack in yourluggage or ship by air is hazardous, contact your airline representative.

For more information, log onto <http://ash.faa.gov/> and review hazardous materials informationunder the heading “What can Fly.”

from Northwest Mountain RegionAviation Security & Hazardous Materials

THINK BEFORE YOU SHIP OR PACK!What are Hazardous Materials?


Security-Restricted Airspace Flight-Restricted Zone (FRZ)

The Flight-Restricted Zone (FRZ) extends approximately 15 nautical miles (about 17 statute miles) aroundthe Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. The airport is located in Arlington County, Virginia, four milesfrom downtown Washington, D.C. The FRZ is not a perfect circle.

The only non-governmental flights allowed within the FRZ are scheduled commercial flights into and outof Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. Pilots who have been vetted by the Transportation SecurityAdministration are allowed into the three Maryland general aviation airports. Other commercial air carr i e rflights can be vectored into the FRZ by air traffic controllers. Some news and traffic-reporting aircraft are al-lowed in as close as seven miles.

The FRZ has been in effect since the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. It was initially 25 nauticalmiles (about 29 statute miles) and was subsequently reduced to 18 nautical miles (about 21 statute miles). Ithas been a radius of 15 nautical miles for the past three years.

Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ)The Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) surrounds the FRZ, and extends in radius around the three

major metropolitan airports: Reagan Washington National, Baltimore-Washington International, and Dulles In-ternational. The ADIZ extends approximately 20 nautical miles (about 23 statute miles) around Dulles and Bal-timore-Washington, and 30 nautical miles (about 35 statute miles) around Washington National Airport. Re-porters say the shape of the ADIZ reminds them of Mickey Mouse’s head and ears.

The ADIZ was put into effect in February 2003.There are a number of requirements for aircraft flying within the ADIZ:• Flying within, into, or out of the ADIZ requires an advance clearance from the FAA’s air traffic control. • Aircraft flying within the ADIZ must have an altitude-encoding transponder that is operating. • Each aircraft that is given clearance to fly within the ADIZ is assigned a four-digit number that identifies

the aircraft to air traffic control by call sign or registration number, aircraft type, destination, etc. • While flying within the ADIZ, the pilot must be in direct contact with air traffic control unless cleared to

the local airport traffic advisory frequency.

Prohibited Area 56 (P-56)P-56A & B are areas surrounding the White House and the vice president’s residence.The only aircraft that are allowed to fly within these prohibited areas are specially authorized flights that

are in direct support of the U.S. Secret Service, the Office of the President, or one of several governmentagencies with missions that require air support within P-56. These prohibited areas have been in effect forabout 50 years.

P-56A covers approximately the area west of the Lincoln Memorial (Rock Creek Park) to east of the Capi-tol (Stanton Square) and between Independence Ave. and K Street up to 18,000 feet.

P-56B covers a small circle of about 1 nautical mile (about 1.2 statute miles) surrounding the Naval Ob-servatory on Massachusetts Ave. up to 18,000 feet.

Temporary Flight RestrictionsThe FAA institutes temporary flight restrictions for hazards to aviation, such as forest fires smoke, volcano

plumes, and air shows, as well as for security reasons. Most temporary flight restrictions (TFRs) are noted onthe FAA home page, <www.faa.gov>, under “Graphic TFRs.”

When the president or the vice president flies, their planes receive priority handling by air traffic control.

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However, Air Force One and Two receive standard en-route separation from other aircraft.At the request of the U.S. Secret Service, the FAA can restrict airspace around locations where the pres-

ident is visiting for TFRs of up to 30 nautical miles in radius and heights of 18,000 feet. Generally, all flightsthat have not received special security vetting by the Transportation Security Agency are prohibited withinthese TFRs.

Airspace Security ViolationsAs of May 12, 2005, there have been approximately 1,682 pilot deviations filed for violations of the re-

stricted airspace in and around the National Capitol Region since the ADIZ was put in place February 13,2003.

As of May 12, 2005, there have been 2,211 security-related airspace violations in the Washington, D.C.area. This includes violations of the FRZ, P56, P40 (Camp David), and other violations that occurred beforethe ADIZ was put into effect.

Pilots are required by FAA regulation to check in advance for any flight restrictions that may be in effecton or near their planned routes before they fly. The best way to do this is for pilots to call their Flight ServiceStations before take off for briefings on the weather, flight restrictions, and anything else that may effect thearea in which they plan to fly. The FAA also issues Notices to Airmen (NOTAM) to advise pilots of flight re-strictions and other special circumstances (such as closed runways, restrictions due to volcanic plumes,etc). Both the NOTAMs and most of the graphic representations of all flight restricted-areas can be found onthe FAA home page, <www.faa.gov>, under “NOTAMs” and “Graphic TFRs.” The agency has also per-formed extensive outreach in coordination with the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association.

The FAA has the authority to take certificate (suspension or revocation of the pilots’ certificate) or civil-penalty (monetary) actions against pilots who violate the federal aviation regulations. Most of these security-related violations result in 30- to 90-day suspensions of the pilots’ FAA certificates. Other agencies may pur-sue criminal actions if those are warranted.

Visual Warning System for the ADIZNORAD (the North American Aerospace Defense Command) on May 21, 2005, deployed a new warning

signal for communicating with aircraft that have flown into the ADIZ or FRZ. The signal consists of highly fo-cused red and green colored lights in an alternating red/red/green signal pattern. This signal will be directedat specific aircraft suspected of making unauthorized entry into the ADIZ/FRZ and are on a heading or flightpath that may be interpreted as a threat, or that operate contrary to the operating rules for the ADIZ/FRZ.

The beam will not injure the eyes of pilots, aircrews or passengers, regardless of altitude or distancefrom the source.

If pilots are in communication with air traffic control and this signal is directed at their aircraft, they areadvised to immediately tell air traffic control that they are being illuminated by a visual-warning signal. If thissignal is directed at a pilot who is not communicating with air traffic control, that pilot should turn to a head-ing away from the center of the FRZ/ADIZ as soon as possible and immediately contact air traffic control onan appropriate fre q u e n c y, or if unsure of the fre q u e n c y, contact ATC on VHF guard 121.5 or UHF guard243.0.

Failure to follow these procedures may result in interception by military aircraft and/or the use of force.This applies to all aircraft operating within the ADIZ, including Department of Defense, law enforcement, andaeromedical operations.

5

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Cessna; A185F; “Freezing Brakes”; ATA 3243

Subfreezing temperatures greeted this small Alaskan airplane at touchdown, immediately followed by erratic, “hang-ing” brakes. This behavior prompted a stop at a repair shop. Inspection of the system by the attending mechanic revealeddirt and water contaminating the brake fluid in both left and right master cylinders (P/N 0541139-22). The aircraft logs veri-fied periodic cylinder seal replacement, but no records of the cylinders ever having been removed and cleaned “...in the 27years, 11 months of service.” The mechanic concludes: “...if cylinder seals are replaced, the entire body should be re-moved and cleaned. The entire system should be removed and thoroughly cleaned every 2,000 hours or 10 years as anageing aircraft inspection item.” Part Total Time: 5,034.0 hours.

Cessna; 550; Cracked Seat Frames; ATA 2500

(The following description is a composite of three defect submissions on the same aircraft having identical cracks inthe same locations on three different seat frames. Two of eight enclosed photos are shown below.)

The repair station technician states, the “...upper chair base assembly cracked at chair back attach points.” (Seatframe P/N 55-19009-21, 55-19009-22, 55-19009-32.) These chairs were repaired in accordance with “...Aviation Fabrica-tors STC STO1042WI Structural Seat Repair.” The photos (below) show the remnants of a previous, inappropriate repair.

Piper; PA31T; Non-functioning Heater Solenoid Valve; ATA 2140

A mechanic provides the following description of his new aircraft heater and its out-of-the-box problem. “(I) installed anew C&D aircraft heater (P/N CD12022) as a replacement to the old Janitrol unit. The new heater would run approximatelyfive minutes, and then produce no heat. Troubleshooting showed that fuel was reaching the nozzle solenoid valve (P/NCD21701), but not past (it). Voltage was present, as well as a click (sound) from the solenoid. (I) replaced the solenoidvalve with the same part number, and had the same issue. Further troubleshooting, using shop air on the valve and abench power supply, showed...(after five minutes of sustaining electrical power this valve would suddenly fail to allow air to

AviationMaintenanceAlerts


pass). The manufacturer was advised of these findings, and they tested a replacement valve of the same part number, but ofa different batch number, and found it to be satisfactory. This (third) solenoid valve was installed and the heater is now opera-tional.” Part Total Time: 0 hours.

Raytheon (Beech); 1900D; Spar Cap Corrosion; ATA 5511

“During an ‘I’ check inspection, the upper and lower horizontal spar caps were found with corrosion in the area of the el-evator hinges,” states the technician. “This area was not treated or primed by the factory during aircraft manufacture andthus was conducive to corrosion. This is considered to be a factory defect requiring inspection, corrosion control, and repairsIAW with Raytheon Field Repair Details. (I) recommend that Beechcraft (Raytheon) add details of damage allowance to thestructural repair manual. (I) recommend all areas to be treated to prevent further corrosion.” Part Total Time: 10,903.0 hours.

Erickson; S-64F; Cracked Inner Bearing Race — Main Rotor Head; ATA 6220

An oil leak was noted on the main rotor head Sleeve and Spindle Assembly during a routine inspection. The mechanicstates, “Upon removable and replacement with a serviceable assembly, a crack was found on the inner race (65952-11522-102). Visual inspection (found) wear and corrosion typical for this part that has been in service.” “The crack is approximatelythree inches in length and runs in an axial direction. This is a first time occurrence.” No speculation as to this defect’s causeor its prevention was offered. Part Total Time: 2,717.3 hours.

Continental; IO 550G; Cracked Oil Cooler; ATA 7921

During a routine oil change, a crack was found in the mounting flange of this engine’s oil cooler (P/N 654585). The me-chanic states, “This is the fourth instance of an oil cooler crack found by this station within the last year. All previous crackedcoolers had at least 500 hours time in service. Close examination of this area is recommended at each oil change or cowlingremoval.” Part Total Time: 602.8 hours.

Honeywell; TPE 331; Failed Turbine Bearing; ATA 7250

The respondent states this destroyed engine’s turbine bearing (P/N 3101092-1) has identification markings from the ven-dor who reworked and overhauled this part in 1995. “Rework and overhaul of this bearing is no longer approved by the man-ufacturer’s current TBO program (SB 72-0180, R31) and requirements now call for replacement of this part number bearingat each hot section inspection. Evidence leads to the belief that the bearing rollers turned in their cage, thus allowing the ro-tating group to move off center and contact the turbine housing — resulting in catastrophic failure.” (Time since overhaulgiven as 1821.5 hours.) Part Total Time: unknown.

The Aviation Maintenance Alerts provide a common communication channel through which theaviation community can economically interchange service experience and thereby cooperate in theimprovement of aeronautical product durability, reliability, and safety. This publication is prepared frominformation submitted by those who operate and maintain civil aeronautical products and can befound on the Web at <http://www.faa.gov/avr/afs>. Click on “Maintenance Alerts” under Regulationsand Guidance. The monthly contents include items that have been reported as significant, but whichhave not been evaluated fully by the time the material went to press. As additional facts such as causeand corrective action are identified, the data will be published in subsequent issues of the Alerts. Thisprocedure gives Alerts’ readers prompt notice of conditions reported via Malfunction or DefectReports, Service Difficulty Reports, and Maintenance Difficulty Reports. Your comments and sugges-tions for improvement are always welcome. Send to: FAA; ATTN: Aviation Data Systems Branch (AFS-620); P.O. Box 25082; Oklahoma City, OK 73125-5029.

5


UNAPPROVED PARTS NOTIFICATIONSUSPECTED UNAPPROVED PARTS PROGRAM OFFICE, AVS-20 13873 PARK CENTER ROAD, SUITE 165 HERNDON, VA 20171

UPNs are posted on the Internet at <http://www.faa.gov/aircraft/safety/programs/sups/upn/>No. 2004-00041

June 15, 2005

Mailed by: FAA, AIR-140, P.O. Box 26460, Oklahoma City, OK 73125

AFFECTED PARTS Aircraft propellers.

PURPOSE The purpose of this notification is to advise all aircraft owners, operators, maintenance organizations, manufac-turers, and parts distributors regarding improper maintenance performed on aircraft propellers.

BACKGROUND Information received during a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) suspected unapproved parts investi-gation revealed that Millennium Propeller Systems, Inc. (Millennium), located at 780 Ferris Road, Hangar 105, Lancaster, TX75146, improperly maintained and approved for return to service propellers applicable to various types of aircraft.Millennium previously held Air Agency Certificate No. NWOR140K with these ratings: Propeller Class 1 and Class 2, LimitedNondestructive Inspection, Testing and Processing, and Limited Specialized Service. Discrepancies noted in Millennium’spractices included, but are not limited to, the following:

Approving for return to service propellers described as being in compliance with Airworthiness Directive (AD) 2002-09-08when, in fact, they had not been reworked in accordance with note 2 of the AD. The AD requires that a repair station beHartzell-approved to perform blade shank, cold-rolling procedures. Millennium is not a Hartzell-approved repair facility.

Using parts that were not purchased from an approved source or have no traceability when performing maintenance oper-ations.

Approving for return to service propellers that were not maintained in accordance with the current manufacturer’s mainte-nance manual or methods otherwise acceptable to the Administrator.

Allowing unqualified personnel to perform nondestructive inspection.

RECOMMENDATIONS Regulations require that type-certificated products conform to their type design. Aircraft owners,operators, maintenance organizations, and parts suppliers and distributors should inspect their aircraft, aircraft records,and/or parts inventories for propellers approved for return to service by Millennium. Suspect products and parts installed onaircraft should be inspected for conformity to type design. If any are found in existing stock, it is recommended that theproducts or parts be quarantined to prevent installation until a determination can be made regarding each product’s or part’seligibility for installation.

FURTHER INFORMATION Further information concerning this investigation, and guidance regarding the above-refer-enced propellers, can be obtained from the FAA Flight Standards District Offices (FSDO) given below. The FAA would appre-ciate any information concerning the discovery of the above-referenced parts from any source, the means used to identifythe source, and the actions taken to remove the products and parts from aircraft and/or stock. This notice originated fromthe FAA Dallas FSDO, 3300 Love Field Drive, Dallas, TX 75235, telephone (214) 902-1800, fax (214) 902-1862; and was pub-lished through the FAA Suspected Unapproved Parts Program Office, AVS-20, telephone (703) 668-3720, fax (703) 481-3002.


Airman Certification and Rating Appli-cation (ACRA) software on October 1,2005. Designed to automate the pro-cessing of airman applications, ACRAis a compact disc (CD) based pro-gram. It has been replaced by web-based technology. An example of anairman application is a pilot certificatep rocessed by a designated pilot ex-aminer. Because of the cost of main-taining the software and distributingthe CD’s and paper forms used in theACRA program, the FAA developed anI n t e rnet-based replacement systemknown as the Integrated Airman Certi-f ication and/or Rating Application(IACRA).

The new system incorporates thefunctions of ACRA while providing ex-panded capabilities. IACRA uses on-line validation and digital signature s .Being Internet-based, the IACRA pro-gram also reduces the FA A’s cost tomaintain and distribute the pro g r a m .IACRA currently has over 17,000users compared to ACRA’s less than1,000.

GENERAL AVIATION AND COMMERCIAL DIVISION REORGANIZED

For many years, the FAA AviationN e w s has been part of Flight Stan-dards’ General Aviation and Commer-cial Division, AFS-800. To better servethe general aviation community, the di-v i s i o n ’s organizational stru c t u re wasre o rganized and the general aviationp rograms were realigned within twotechnical branches. The Operationsand FAA Safety Team Support Branch,AFS-820, has been renamed theCommercial Operations Branch, AFS-820. The Certification and Flight Train-ing Branch, AFS-840, has been re-named the Certification and GeneralAviation Operations Branch, AFS-810.

The Certification and General Avi-ation Operations Branch, AFS-810, isthe principal element of the divisionc o n c e rning the certification and train-

ing of airmen (pilots, ground, and flighti n s t ructors) under Title 14 Code ofFederal Regulations (14 CFR) part 61and the operational aspects of part 91(except for air traffic and aircraft main-tenance rules) as perta ining tos p o rt / re c reational/ personal opera-tions, and operations under parts 101,103, and 105.

The Commercial Operat ionsBranch, AFS-820, is the principal ele-ment of the division with respect tothe operational aspects of 14 CFRp a rt 91 (except for air traffic and air-craft maintenance rules) as pertains toc o m m e rcial operations, and part s125, 133, 137, and 142.

The magazine will remain part ofthe Plans and Programs Branch, AFS-805, which will remain unchanged.The only change that the magazine isexperiencing is a new web addre s s ,which is <http://www. f a a . g o v / l i b r a ry /aviation_news/>

SPECIAL TRAINING FOR PILOTSFLYING WITHIN 100 NM OF DCADIZ

The FAA plans to issue an InterimFinal Rule, which establishes trainingre q u i rements for any pilot who fliesunder visual flight rules (VFR) within100 nm of the Washington, DC, AirDefense Identification Zone (DC ADIZ).The training primarily focuses on theprocedures for flying in and around theWashington, DC, Flight RestrictedZone (DC FRZ) and the DC ADIZ.

Over the years, the FAA has con-ducted pilot meetings/seminars con-c e rning operations in and around flightrestriction areas and other special useairspace. However, since September11, 2001, there have been a larg enumber of inadvertent incursions intosecurity related Te m p o r a ry Flight Re-striction (TFR) areas throughout theU.S. In the DC ADIZ alone, over 1,500unauthorized flights/incursions haveo c c u rred. There f o re, it is believed thatm a n d a t o ry pilot training would re d u c e

WASHINGTON DC AREA FLIGHTRESTRICTIONS

The FAA has announced a pro-posal to make the various WashingtonDC area flight restrictions perm a n e n t .In a notice of proposed ru l e m a k i n g(NPRM) published in the Federal Reg -ister, Volume 70, Number 149, on Au-gust 4, 2005, the FAA outlined theneed for and its plan to make theWashington DC flight restrictions per-manent through the ru l e m a k i n gprocess. The NPRM outlines the vari-ous options the Government is con-sidering for protecting the gre a t e rWashington DC Metropolitan area.

The NPRM’s formal title is DocketNo. FAA-2003-17005, Notice No. 05-07, 14 CFR Part 93, Washington, DCMetropolitan Area Special Flight RulesA rea, Proposed Rule. Anyone inter-ested in reading the complete NPRMcan find it on the FAA’s Internet site at< h t t p : / / w w w. f a a . g o v / re g u l a t i o n s _ p o l i-c i e s / ru l e m a k i n g / re c e n t l y _ p u b l i s h e d / >Once you are at the site, you onlyhave to click on the NPRM’s title tolink to the document.

The document is also available forviewing at the FAA’s Public Documentroom in Washington DC. A copy ofthe NPRM can also be obtained bysubmitting a request to the FederalAviation Administration, Office of Rule-making, ARM-1, 800 IndependenceAve. SW, Washington DC 20591 or bycalling (202) 267-9680. Anyone re-questing a copy must include thedocket number, notice number, oramendment number of the NPRM.

November 2, 2005, is the dead-line for submitting comments on theproposal. The NPRM states how andwhere comments are to be submitted.It also tells how public comments canbe read. The NPRM reminds readersnot to submit Sensitive Security Infor-mation to the Public Docket. The No-tice explains how someone may sub-mit sensitive information.

ACRA TO GO

FAA is terminating support for its

REVISED AIRCRAFT EQUIPMENT SUFFIX TABLE FOR FLIGHT PLANSStarting September 1, when filing an FAA Flight Plan (FAA Form 7233-1), operators will use a new set of aircraft equip-ment suffixes to indicate Advanced RNAV and RVSM capabilities. Either “/J”,“/K,”“/L” or a newly defined “/Q” will befiled to indicate Advanced RNAV and RVSM capabilities. “/W” will continue to indicate RVSM capability only. Therevised table also contains significant changes to the definitions of “/E”,“/F” and “/Q.” A revised table will be posted inthe Aeronautical Information Manual (AIM) at <http://www.faa.gov/ATpubs/AIM/index.htm>.


ble in the aircraft, when flying underVFR within 100 nautical miles of theDC ADIZ airspace. Compliance is re-q u i red within 60 days of the eff e c t i v edate of the interim rule. Check the fol-

lowing FAA web site <http://w w w. f a a . g o v / re g u l a t i o n s _ p o l i c i e s / ru l e-m a k i n g / recently_published/> to viewthe rule when it is published, as thepublic is invited to comment on it.

the number of incursions.After receiving the training, pilots

will be required to carry a certificate oftraining completion in his/her personalpossession or have it readily accessi-

NO DMENo transponderTransponder with no Mode CTransponder with Mode CDMENo transponderTransponder with no Mode CTransponder with Mode CTACAN ONLYNo transponderTransponder with no Mode CTransponder with Mode CAREA NAVIGATION (rnav)LORAN, VOR/DME, or INS with no transponderLORAN, VOR/DME, or INS with transponder with no Mode CLORAN, VOR/DME, or INS with no transponder with Mode CADVANCED RNAV WITH TRANSPONDER AND MODE C (If an aircraft is unable to operate with atransponder and/or Mode C, it will revert to the appropriate code listed above under AreaNavigation.)Flight Management System (FMS) with DME/DME and IRU position updatingFlight Management System (FMS) with DME/DME position updatingGlobal Navigation Satellite System (GNSS), including GPS or WAAS, with enroute and terminalcapability.Required Navigational Performance. The aircraft meets the RNP type prescribed for the route seg-ment(s), route(s) and/or area concerned.Reduced Vertical Separation Minimum (RVSM). Prior to conducting RVSM operations within theU.S., the operator must obtain authorization from the FAA or from the responsible authority, asappropriate./E with RVSM/F with RVSM/G with RVSM/R with RVSMRVSM

/X/T/U

/D/B/A

/M/N/P

/Y/C/I

/E/F/G

/R

/J/K//L/Q/W

Suffix Equipment Capability

Editor’s Runwayfrom the pen of H. Dean Chamberlain

WHAT HAPPENEDTO SUMMER?

From an editorial viewpoint, summer is gone. I don’t know what happened to it, but for FAA Aviation Newspurposes, summer flying is history. Now, we are discussing such topics as what pilots and maintenance techni-cians need to remember when transitioning to winter flight operations. Not to rush the seasons, we are alsolooking forward to spring. When we again encourage pilots who have not flown much, if at all, over the wintermonths to refresh their piloting skills by adding a new rating or by going flying with a certificated flight instructorfor some refresher training before launching off with the family in your Mark I rental.

Each year, FAA Aviation News has two transition issues. The first one is our spring issue, March/April, wherewe stress the need for pilot refresher training as well as reminding aircraft owners of the need to make sure theiraircraft have been properly prepared for warm-weather operations. The second transition issue is this one Sep-tember/October, reminding pilots and aircraft owners of the need to prepare for winter operations. Of the twoperiods, I believe the winter transition period is the most critical. To paraphrase part of the memory aid about al-timeter settings, “when going from hot to cold, look out below.”

The reason is winter poses more dangers for the unprepared. Obviously, cold and weather-related hyper-thermia pose risks for anyone not properly dressed for those conditions. But more importantly, winter flight oper-ations pose additional risks both to the aircraft as well as to the pilot. From ice on the runways to ice in the fuelto ice on the wings to ice blocked controls, winter operations can be deadly. Add in the reduced daylight hoursfor travel—or if you want to be positive, the extended hours of darkness—and you can begin to see the in-creased risks of winter travel. Aircraft are not immune to winter’s risks. From batteries that won’t turn the engineover to the need to preheat both the engine compartment and the cockpit to installing required baffles, aircraft re-quire special care during the cold winter months.

The best guides for servicing your aircraft’s cold-weather needs are its pilot operating handbook or aircraftflight manual and your local aircraft maintenance technician who through experience and access to factory main-tenance manuals knows how to prepare your aircraft for winter. This important aircraft information includes theproper type of oil and grease based upon your local temperatures, adjusting control cables for proper tension, in-stalling any required baffles such as one for the oil cooler, and checking your aircraft’s heating system for properoperation and any leaks. These are only a few of the items pilots, aircraft owners, and maintenance techniciansshould think about and check in the next few weeks.

Pilots and aircraft owners who spend the winter in or live in the warmer areas of the country may also be atrisk. These I break down into two groups. There is the group that migrates each year from the cold northern tierpart of the country to sunny Florida and Arizona and other equally warm areas. Then there is the group of heartyfolks who leave warmer parts of the country during parts of the winter to either go skiing, especially those flying tothe western mountain resorts such as those in Colorado or Utah, or to cold areas of the country for the winterholidays. These groups of folks need to be especially careful because they may not have prepared their aircraftfor extended winter operations, and since they are only going on trips of short duration, they may lack the knowl-edge or pilot proficiency for operating in the cold, snow-covered areas.

As FAA Aviation News prepares for the winter months and looks ahead to spring, we think those pilots andaircraft owners planning on flying over the winter months should also start to prepare for winter operations whilereminding themselves that spring is just around the corner.

Now, where did summer go?

U.S. Depart m e n tof Tr a n s p o rt a t i o n

Federal Aviation A d m i n i s t r a t i o n

800 Independence Ave., S.W.

Washington, D.C. 20591

Official Business

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