Bulletin Issued on Noise-Cancelling Headset Use
On November 20, 2015, the FAA issued a Special Airworthiness Information Bulletin (SAIB CE-16-08) that advises GA pilots and operators of concerns with the use of noise cancelling headsets. In many cases, pilots are using the noise cancelling headsets as supplementary equipment during operations. When wearing these headsets, the pilot may be unaware of environmental sounds and audible warning annunciations in the cockpit that do not come through the intercom system.
The FAA recommends that if any audible alarms or environmental sounds cannot be discerned, operators should elect to find other solutions to discern such alarms or sounds, or discontinue the use of noise-canceling headsets. The agency also recommends pilots review the information found in an earlier bulletin (InFO 07001) on noise-cancelling headset use which can be accessed at http://go.usa.gov/cZdDz.
Fly Safe With Your Drone
Did you know that if you fly a drone anywhere in the nation’s airspace, you automatically become part of the U.S. aviation system? Under the law, your drone is an aircraft. So while the rules for drones may be different, you have the responsibility to operate safely, just as a Cessna or 747 pilot does. The FAA has developed this safety checklist (PDF) that you, as a pilot, should use whenever you send a drone into the sky. We want you to fly safe, fly smart – and have fun.
WAAS New?
There are currently 3,591 Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS) Localizer Performance with Vertical guidance (LPV) approach procedures serving 1,746 airports. 1,002 of these airports are Non-ILS airports. There are also 596 Localizer Performance (LP) approach procedures in the U.S. serving 432 airports.
Good N.I.G.H.T. (G = Glowing Gadgets and Gizmos)
The gadgets and gizmos that many of us now regard as essential flying tools can be an enormous boon to situational awareness at night, but they can also distract the unwary pilot from his or her basic responsibility to aviate. When using these devices, especially at night, it’s important to practice the art of paying attention or, more precisely, the art of appropriately dividing attention among competing priorities. Learn more about flying with your personal devices at http://1.usa.gov/FAA_ASB
