Archive for March 2015
FAA Safety Briefing
The March/April 2015 issue of FAA Safety Briefing focuses on weather forces, sources, resources. Articles review some basic causes of weather activity, how certain conditions can affect pilot safety, and the tools you can use to aid your weather decision-making process.
Feature articles in this issue include:
· “Air Masses and Fronts – The Movers and Shakers of Weather” (p 8),
· “Cloud Dancing and Thunder Singing – Developing Strategies to Avoid Inadvertent Peril” (p 16),
· “I’ve Got Weather (…Now What Do I Do with It?)” (p. 26)
Read MoreVote on the (Biased?) Poll on Santa Monica Airport
A news outlet in the Santa Monica area ran a hatchet-job about SMO, in which they listed “Santa Monica Airport Plane Crashes.” It’s been pointed out that many of them had little or nothing to do with that airport. At the end, they have a poll in which they ask if the airport should be…
Read MoreMajor Runway Construction Set At KLAX
Large Scale Project Begins Next Month, Will Continue Into 2017
A large-scale runway construction and rehabilitation plan at KLAX will begin in March 2015, and continue into 2017. The construction will take place in the five phases.
Read MorePreflight those electrons
There are so many items that need attention before we fly – airplane condition, weather conditions and our own health conditions, just to name a few. But, now we have an entirely new group of items to check due to our fascination with all things electronic. And, all of the electronics that we take with us need our attention too.
Here are some things that need to be done before the electronics go into the flight bag:
- Make sure you know how to use it. (Well, duh?) 4,000 feet and 100 knots is no time to try to figure out the buttons. (I often take a new portable device with me in the car. When my wife drives, I am navigating to some airport.)
Preflight those electrons
Notice Number: NOTC5875
There are so many items that need attention before we fly – airplane condition, weather conditions and our own health conditions, just to name a few. But, now we have an entirely new group of items to check due to our fascination with all things electronic. And, all of the electronics that we take with us need our attention too.
Here are some things that need to be done before the electronics go into the flight bag:
Read MoreNew Sleep Apnea Rules March 2
The FAA will impose new guidance on obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) to air medical examiners on March 2. The new rules are much different than the controversial 2013 edict that came from then-Chief Flight Surgeon Fred Tilton, which automatically grounded pilots with body mass index of 40 or more. But it does require AMEs to put more emphasis on the disorder during the medical and sets out the potentially costly steps that will follow if they suspect it. Overweight pilots will almost certainly be targeted under the new orders but they can keep flying until there is a definitive diagnosis and they agree to undergo treatment. Throughout the fact sheet issued on Friday, the FAA maintained that it’s not changing any rules. “The FAA is not changing its medical standards related to OSA,” it said. “The agency is revising the screening approach to help AMEs find undiagnosed and untreated OSA.”
Read MoreFAA Rolls Out New AME Guidance on OSA
On March 2, 2015, FAA’s Office of Aerospace Medicine rolled out its new guidance for AME’s on Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA). In response to feedback from pilots, other industry stakeholders, and Congress, FAA heavily revised guidance that was previously proposed last year. To address concerns that were raised by pilots, the new guidance asks AMEs to evaluate applicants on multiple criteria rather than Body Mass Index (BMI) alone. If a pilot exhibits some of the criteria but is deemed to be at low risk of OSA, the AME will regular[AE1] issue the medial certificate with some educational material on OSA. Applicants meeting some criteria and deemed to be at high risk of OSA will still be Regular issued but with a request for more information after a consultation from their regular doctor within 90 days. Only applicants that report, or if the AME observes severe symptoms of OSA, will the applicant then be deferred to the Aerospace Medical Certification Division.
