On March 31, 2017, President Donald Trump reappointed Robert Sumwalt to a two-year term as vice chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and announced his intention to renominate Sumwalt to another five-year term on the board. Vice Chairman Sumwalt is a pilot's pilot serving on the board, not...

The FAA recently released an updated version of the Pilot’s Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge (PHAK) and there have been some changes that are worth noting. What was formerly an entire 24-page PHAK Appendix devoted to Runway Incursion Avoidance in the last issue has been compressed to 6 pages in Chapter...

You have been examined and issued a medical by the AME, the mechanics have completed the aircraft inspections, your international paperwork has been checked and double checked, and your preflight checks are all done. Are you ready for your international flight? You may be, but is your passport? The condition...

With a new year comes new challenges, but Father Time is poised to deliver flight crews operating in North America a belated holiday gift. New regulations, guidance, policies, and procedures are commonplace for pilots, so we will gladly welcome changes that simplify our lives. In 2016, ICAO recommended that member...

Every now and then, the aviation gods drop a gem in your lap such as this—a lawyer attempting to drop the charges against his client. His client is a pilot who, fortunately, was stopped before (allegedly) flying intoxicated. The facts at hand are this: Blood alcohol content 0.343 (8 times...

ADS-B surveillance technology allows aircraft to use GPS to share accurate position data with ATC and other aircraft. Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) is the standard generic term for satellite navigation systems with global coverage. GPS is specific to the United States' GNSS system. This allows continuous and automatic broadcasts...

Within the Notice to Airman Publication (NTAP) Part 4, Graphic Notices Section 1, General – Cold Temperature Restricted Airports, is a list of updated airports that are affected when cold temperatures influence the terrain clearance for instrument approach procedures. Pilots are instructed to apply a cold temperature error correction (Temp...

Overview The FAA is advising U.S. Part 135 operators that they soon will need a "State recognized" (FAA) Safety Management System (SMS) to fly throughout Europe under Europe's Third Country Operators (TCO) regulation. Part 135 operators based outside of Europe will be required to obtain a TCO authorization from the...

"N91AA braking action is reported as medium by a Gulfstream and the RCC is 3/3/3." Are you ready to hear that from ATC? On approach is not the time to look at the pilot next to you and ask “What does RCC of 3 mean?" The FAA will begin using...

I have the opportunity to view many operations manuals. One of the places where operators differ related to Dangerous Goods is the acceptance, or not, of Portable Oxygen Concentrators (POCs). The revision to FAA Advisory Circular (AC) 120-95A, Portable Oxygen Concentrators is an excellent opportunity for operators to adapt their...

The only constant in business aviation is change. When operating Part 91 within the United States, there is no requirement for a Letter or Authorization (LOA) to fly RNAV SIDs and STARs. If your aircraft is properly equipped, the pilots have been trained, and you file the correct equipment codes...

The first post in this series introduced the recently published Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Advisory Circular (AC) 90-48D Pilots’ Role in Collision Avoidance. In this second post, we’ll look at best practices identified in AC 90-48D for avoiding midair collisions (MAC) and near midair collisions (NMAC). Statistics indicate that the...

Advisory Circular (AC) 90-48D Pilots’ Role in Collision Avoidance was published on 19 April 2016 for the purpose of alerting all pilots to the potential hazards of midair collisions (MAC) and near midair collisions (NMAC). The AC also emphasizes problem areas related to human causal factors where improvements in pilot...

June 1, 2016 is OSHA’s final deadline for implementing requirements within the new Hazard Communication Standard. The changes are bringing the United States into alignment with the Globally Harmonized System Classification and Labeling of Chemicals (GHS), ever improving workers’ safety and health protections. The new system is being implemented throughout...

As of February 4, 2016, MNPS (Minimum Navigation Performance Specifications) Airspace is being dumped as a term and replaced by the much more user friendly NAT High Level Airspace or NAT HLA. MNPS first came into being in 1977, and this change is significant in that the requirements for approval...

Approximately 75% of all delays in the National Airspace System occur due to delays in the NY Metropolitan Area airspace. As we have experienced, these delays determine the course of the aviation industry on a daily basis. The ability to transport passengers and goods in a timely and cost-effective manner...

In 1983, OSHA promulgated the Hazard Communication Standard (HCS), (CFR 29 1910.1200) to establish uniform requirements for the evaluation of chemical hazards by the manufacturer. It is referred to as the "Worker Right to Know" standard. The standard's purpose ensured that the hazards of all chemicals produced or imported are...

Controller Pilot Data Link Communications (CPDLC), also known as Data Comm within United States Airspace, links pilots and ground controllers to communicate information regarding current or future flight of the aircraft. Available since the 1990s, this capacity has been used for Oceanic communications. Since 2009, the FAA has worked with...

The FAA mandate to install Automatic Dependent Surveillance – Broadcast (ADS-B) Out equipment for aircraft flying in U.S. airspace by January 1, 2020 (above 10,000 feet or in Class B or C airspace) is in the not-so-distant future. Aircraft operating in some countries' airspace must already be compliant. Now, there's...

Last month in our newsletter, we posted an article on the implementation of Reduced Lateral Separation Minimum (RLatSM) in the North Atlantic. This briefing summarizes the changes. Advanced Aircrew Academy has an eLearning module available to cover the changes. The changes are detailed in NAT OPS Bulletin 2015 - 003....

Many countries require advance passenger information system (APIS) filing requirements for general aviation (GA). Cuba recently initiated such an APIS requirement for inbound flights. It is important that operators understand Cuba is in a very fluid situation with regards to access for GA flights. How do you file your Cuba...

Part 135 operators who depend on FAA inspectors rather than their own check airman for testing and checking of pilots should note that the NBAA and FAA have worked together to update the Flight Standards Inspector Resource Program (FSIRP) policy to ensure better access to National Resource Inspectors (NRIs). According...

Did you know that Loss of Control – Inflight (LOC-I) has now overtaken CFIT as the leading cause of aircraft accidents worldwide? The FAA, EASA, and ICAO have made LOC-I / Upset training one of their "hot button" issues in an effort to reduce the number of fatalities. Inadvertent stalls...

September 17, 2015 is the magical day. Applying cold temperature corrections to certain instrument approaches goes from being recommended to being mandatory. Pilots without temperature compensating aircraft must calculate and make a manual cold temperature altitude correction for cold temperature restricted airports to the designated segment(s) of the approach using...

The book Sway: The Irresistible Pull of Irrational Behavior reminds me of the writing style of Steven Levitt and Stephen Dubner in their books Freakonomics, Surperfreakonomics, and Think Like a Freak. Similar to Levitt and Dubner, Ori Brafman and Rom Brafman use behavioral economics as a lens to explain what...