Doubts aside, IFR  currency rule unchanged 

By Dan Namowitz

An instrument pilot checks his logbook and discovers that he no longer can act as pilot in command under IFR because his recent experience prescribed for instrument currency is out of date. What must he do?

Simply stated, if the pilot’s currency lapsed, but did so less than six calendar months ago, the pilot may reestablish currency, without taking an instrument proficiency check.

If currency expired more than six months ago, it’s time to set up an instrument proficiency check.
In either case, once currency is regained, the pilot has until six months past the next expiration of currency to reestablish it without an IPC. If the pilot is unable to maintain currency—and is also unable to regain it within six months after it lapses—it is time for another IPC.

All that is just as it was before.

Sometimes a timeline beats a narrative for explaining a complicated rule—and when it comes to instrument pilots and their currency requirements, understanding how to regain currency in the six months after it has lapsed, and how to do so thereafter, has always been confusing.

AOPA has received a number of inquiries about the recent technical update to FAR 61.57 and its effect on instrument currency requirements. The technical amendment sought to make it clear “that a pilot who has failed to maintain instrument currency for more than six calendar months may not serve as pilot in command under IFR or in weather conditions less than the minimums prescribed for VFR until completing an instrument proficiency check. A pilot whose instrument currency has been lapsed for less than six months may continue to reestablish instrument currency by performing the tasks and maneuvers required in paragraph (c).”

“AOPA has studied the recent amendment, has spoken with the FAA, and consulted with aviation attorneys for good measure, and verified that no change to the procedures for maintaining or re-establishing instrument currency has been made,” said Kristine Hartzell, AOPA manager of regulatory affairs.

Despite concerns expressed by some pilots, the clarification did not change the long-standing procedures that instrument pilots must use to regain currency, she said.

ForeFlight Adds Features To iPhone, iPad Apps

Fuel Prices, 'Direct-To', FBO Info, And More

The latest release of ForeFlight Mobile is now available for download  iTunes App Store. ForeFlight says the version 3.7 update includes features like fuel prices, SIDs and STARs, airway support, direct-to, airport and FBO comments, turbo downloads, and a long list of user interface tweaks and performance improvements. Touch Planning for iPhone is included in the most recent version.

ForeFlight says that the version 3.7 is the most extensive update since version 3.0. Among the new features are:

• 100LL and Jet A fuel price maps, making it easy to see where fuel is available and the price offered. See FBO prices posted and submit new prices while standing at the FBO counter.
• View and submit comments on your favorite airports and FBOs with ease.
• Route planning via departures, airways, and arrivals. Display recently cleared ATC routes on the map to see where others are heading.
• Direct-to support, making it simple to modify your route of flight when ATC sends you direct.
• Touch Planning on the iPhone! Tap and hold anywhere on the map to start planning the perfect route.

3.7 also includes many smaller enhancements, like a new download settings page, Turbo Downloads, a fresh new look for the airport pages, and more images optimized for the iPhone 4's Retina display.

For iPad users, ForeFlight says it designed the Airports View to fill the whole screen, reduce scrolling, and reduce the effort required for your eyes to lock on to important airport data. The colors selected reduce brightness, draw attention to the top half of the page, and help highlight critical information. The most important airport information is displayed on the top half of the Airports View. Refer to this portion of the view when preparing to taxi or when approaching an airport, as it contains elements such as the current flight rule, field elevation and pattern altitude, automated weather frequencies, and controller frequencies.

Additional information from one of the seven available groupings is displayed in the bottom half of the screen. Groups include a comprehensive list of airport related frequencies, current and forecast weather, runway details, terminal procedures, notices to airmen, airport services, and supplemental airport information.

Pilots can also search or browse airports, and keep a list of favorites.

The company also has introduced new discounted group pricing plans for organizations and enterprises that need support for more than five subscriptions. With new online tools available next month, groups and enterprises can easily upgrade from one plan to another, manage users, and keep track of usage.

FMI: www.foreflight.com

New Bose A20 Headset
Has it been 20 years since Bose pioneered the first aviation noise cancelling headset at Oshkosh? Yes, it has — and at this year's EAA AirVenture, they've introduced the latest and greatest, the new A20, a follow-on product to the popular Headset X. Here's AVweb's quick look at the new headset.

Auto Log-in for Smartphone Users on FltPlan.com

FltPlan.com just got easier for smartphone users. Now you no longer need to key in your username and password every time you log into our site from your smartphone.

FAA Kills "Taxi To" For Takeoff

Effective June 30, 2010, the FAA is deleting the term "taxi to" from taxi and ground movement operations as it pertains to aircraft cleared to taxi to an assigned takeoff runway. The change requires controllers to issue explicit runway crossing clearances "for each runway (active/inactive or closed) crossing." And aircraft issued clearance to cross a runway must cross that runway before receiving clearance for a subsequent runway crossing. There is an exception: "At airports where the taxi route between runway centerlines is less than 1,000 feet apart, multiple runway crossings may be issued after receiving approval by the Terminal Services Director of Operations," according to the FAA.

The change applies to "the Terminal Services organization and all associated air traffic control facilities." It will be made manifest in Air Traffic Control, Paragraph 3-7-2. The FAA Runway Safety Call to Action Committee has issued the recommended change to improve runway safety and changes "will also be made to the AIM and AIP," according to the FAA. For the full text of the notice, click through (PDF).

One Of Two WAAS Satellites Failed

The Wide Area Augmentation System, which broadcasts GPS corrections used by aviators across North America, is powered by just two satellites, and one of them has failed. Intelsat, the company that provides the satellite service to the FAA, lost control of the satellite on April 3. The satellite will "drift out of orbit over the next two to four weeks," the FAA said on April 12. The most immediate impact will be felt in northwestern Alaska, where service will be unavailable at 16 airports. However, the FAA said that due to the lack of redundant coverage, WAAS users across North America may experience temporary service interruptions. Also, a "single-point failure situation exists until redundancy [is] restored," the FAA said. A replacement satellite should launch by the end of this year; meanwhile, the FAA is looking at other options to mitigate the impact.

The Government Accountability Office raised questions last year about the lack of redundancy in the GPS system. "It is uncertain whether the Air Force will be able to acquire new satellites in time to maintain current GPS service without interruption," the GAO report warned. "If not, some military operations and some civilian users could be adversely affected." Click here for more details about the outage, in an FAA PowerPoint presentation.

At Sun 'n Fun last week, AVweb raised the issue of satellite redundancy with AOPA President Craig Fuller; click here for that podcast.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: March 9, 2010
SB-10-07

NTSB STUDY SHOWS INTRODUCTION OF ‘GLASS COCKPITS’ IN GENERAL AVIATION AIRPLANES HAS NOT LED TO EXPECTED SAFETY IMPROVEMENTS

Washington, DC – Today the National Transportation Safety Board adopted a study concluding that single engine airplanes equipped with glass cockpits had no better overall safety record than airplanes with conventional instrumentation. 

The safety study, which was adopted unanimously by the Safety Board, was initiated more than a year ago to determine if light airplanes equipped with digital primary flight displays, often referred to as "glass cockpits," were inherently safer than those equipped with conventional instruments.

The study, which looked at the accident rates of over 8,000 small piston-powered airplanes manufactured between 2002 and 2006, found that those equipped with glass cockpits had a higher fatal accident rate then similar aircraft with conventional instruments.

The Safety Board determined that because glass cockpits are both complex and vary from aircraft to aircraft in function, design and failure modes, pilots are not always provided with all of the information they need – both by aircraft manufacturers and the Federal Aviation Administration – to adequately understand the unique operational and functional details of the primary flight instruments in their airplanes.

NTSB Chairman Deborah A.P. Hersman highlighted the role that training plays in preventing accidents involving these airplanes.

"As we discussed today, training is clearly one of the key components to reducing the accident rate of light planes equipped with glass cockpits, and this study clearly demonstrates the life and death importance of appropriate training on these complex systems," said Hersman. "We know that while many pilots have thousands of hours of experience with conventional flight instruments, that alone is just not enough to prepare them to safely operate airplanes equipped with these glass cockpit features."

Today, nearly all newly manufactured piston-powered light airplanes are equipped with digital primary flight displays.  And the number of older airplanes being retrofitted with these systems continues to grow.

"While the technological innovations and flight management tools that glass cockpit equipped airplanes bring to the general aviation community should reduce the number of fatal accidents, we have not – unfortunately – seen that happen," said Hersman. "The data tell us that equipment-specific training will save lives. To that end, we have adopted recommendations today responsive to that data – recommendations on pilot knowledge testing standards, training, simulators, documentation and service difficulty reporting so that the potential safety improvements that these systems provide can be realized by the general aviation pilot community."

Based on the study findings, the NTSB made six safety recommendations to the FAA:

1. enhance pilot knowledge and training requirements;
2. require manufacturers to provide pilots with information to better manage system failures;
3. incorporate training elements regarding electronic primary flight displays into training materials and aeronautical knowledge requirements;
4. incorporate training elements regarding electronic primary flight displays into initial and recurrent flight proficiency requirements for pilots of small light general aviation airplanes equipped with those systems, that address variations in equipment design and operations of such displays;
5. support equipment-specific pilot training programs by developing guidance for the use of glass cockpit simulators other than those that are approved by the FAA as flight training devices; and
6. inform the general aviation community about the importance of reporting malfunctions or defects with electronic flight, navigation and control systems through the Service Difficulty Reporting system.

The complete safety study will be available at www.ntsb.gov in several weeks.

###

NTSB Media Contact: Peter Knudson
(202-314-6100)
peter.knudson@ntsb.gov

Related information:

• Presentations
  

2009 Joseph T. Nall Report expands picture of GA safety...

The number of non-commercial fixed-wing general aviation accidents decreased 5.3% from 2007 to 2008 (from 1,324 to 1,254), but this reflected a decrease in flight activity as well as a slight reduction in the accident rate.  The 236 fatal accidents and 433 individual deaths were the lowest on record, but the fatal accident rate remained close to its historic average.  The number of accidents caused by fuel mismanagement continues to decrease, down 54% from 1999.  The commercial fixed-wing GA accident rate jumped to its highest level in five years but was still almost one-third lower than the non-commercial rate, while the safety record of both commercial and non-commercial helicopter flights have shown impressive improvements since 2003. Click here to download the entire report (PDF file — 2MB).

By Paul Bertorelli, Aviation Safety Contributor

So-called over-the-top or cross-control stall accidents have been common among general aviation pilots for years. But no one has ever really documented what happens in one — until now. Thanks the widespread use of glass cockpits, this fatal stall accident has been extraordinarily well-documented by accident investigators and includes a video re-creation. Aviation Safety magazine walks you through the accident in this video.

Related Content:
As part of its detailed coverage in the January 2010 issue of Aviation Safety, the editors also interviewed John King and Rich Stowell, two veteran flight instructors who discuss the stall and spin training. Listen to the podcast.

iPhone App Released For ForeFlight Mobile

Features Useful For Pilots From Student To ATP

It seems like every time we turn around, the device that we used to know as a cellular phone becomes more integrated into our lives. ForeFlight took the wraps off ForeFlight Mobile 3 for iPhone and iPod on Wednesday, a flight planning tool that ForeFlight says will allow pilots to visualize and plan flights faster than ever before.

ForeFlight says they have improved the weather presentation technology, which increases pre-flight situational awareness and confidence, and makes pilots more productive. The v3.0 software has a re-designed user interface and features that will be useful for pilots ranging form student to ATP.

Among the new features in ForeFlight Mobile 3:

• Brand new Slip Maps with slideable, zoomable maps for weather and charts.
• Flight routes displayed over animated, QICP-certified  HD NEXRAD and satellite.
• Full screen, downloadable, GPS-integrated moving map VFR sectionals.
• Full screen, downloadable, GPS-integrated moving map IFR high and low enroute charts.
• One-tap Intelligent Flight Briefings via DUATS with smart refresh, briefing email confirmations, and archival on ForeFlight servers for extra assurance.
• Redesigned route planning with NAVAID support and wind-corrected flight plans.
• Redesigned airport interface for faster access to airports, weather, and imagery.
• Global airport database with the best information from the FAA, AOPA Airport Directory, and Universal Weather and Aviation’s UVTripPlanner airport directories.
• Redesigned NOTAMs organized by airport, TFRs, and regional ARTCC.
• Local storage of all airport procedures, charts, briefings, and flight plans so you can view them offline.

ForeFlight Mobile provides color-coded METARs, TAFs, winds aloft, infrared satellite, NOTAMs, graphical TFRs, FBOs, and flight plan filing.

Special introductory pricing is available for new subscribers and upgraders.

FMI: www.foreflight.com/mobile

For Immediate Release

November 16, 2009
Contact: Laura Brown
Phone: (202) 267-3455

(Click here to read full report)

August 2009 - "CALLBACK" Issue #356 from NASA's Aviation Safety Reporting System (ASRS)

As more General Aviation aircraft are equipped with autopilots, GPS, and glass cockpit displays, ASRS is also hearing more about pilots’ “learning curve” with technology that has long been standard in air carrier cockpits. GA pilots increasingly experience equipment-related altitude busts, track deviations, and other incidents. This month we present both GA and air carrier reports that demonstrate the need for pilots to:

• Understand how advanced systems execute commands before using these systems in flight.
• Monitor the airplane’s flight path when ATC issues clearance changes that require re-programming.
• Resist the urge to extensively troubleshoot automation that is not working as expected.
  

GPS outages may start in 2010

Delays in the development and launch of new satellites could lead to interruptions in GPS service as early as next year, according to a U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) report. The report warns that many of the older satellites currently in use could reach the end of their operational life faster than they can be replenished, resulting in a drop below the number of satellites needed to meet some GPS users’ needs. Read more >>

Canada Backs Off 406 ELTs

---

Canada's Minister of Transport, John Baird, has overruled his bureaucracy and suspended implementation of a controversial rule that would have required almost all aircraft to have certified 406 Mhz emergency locator transmitters installed by February of 2011 in order to fly legally in Canada. The rule would have applied to aircraft trying to enter Canada from other countries. In an interview with AVweb at Canadian Aviation Expo in Hamilton, Ontario, earlier this week, Kevin Psutka, president of the Canadian Owners and Pilots Association (COPA), said the minister refused to sign the rule as presented by Transport Canada because it didn't include any viable alternatives to 406 ELTs, even though it included language that indicated an alternative method of compliance was possible. "There is no technology that exists today that could meet those (alternative) requirements," Psutka said. He said the minister has ordered his staff to draft a rule that gives new technology a fighting chance for acceptance.

Psutka and COPA have been fighting the mandatory equipage with 406 ELTs for 10 years, arguing the new ELTs, while somewhat improved in the level and types of information they provide rescuers, suffer from the same operational flaws as the old-style 121.5 units. The vast majority of ELT signals are accidental and do not announce any kind of emergency. On the other hand, when a plane does go down, they fail to trigger more than half the time, according to COPA's research. Psutka was urging Transport Canada and the Canadian Forces (which handles search and rescue) to consider new GPS-based systems that leave a "bread crumb" trail of position reports for rescuers to follow but the rule, as written, excluded all of them, he said. TC's position was that 406 ELTs meet International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) standards that changed when the satellite constellation that monitors search and rescue alerts stopped receiving 121.5 signals. The U.S. did not adopt mandatory 406 equipage, but the military and Civil Air Patrol are recommending aircraft owners install the new ELTs.

Copyright Aviation Publishing Group. All rights reserved

FAA Re-issues Letter of Interpretation regarding "KNOWN ICE"

Click here to read a letter issued in January of 2009 that delineates the agency's stance on known ice and flight into known icing conditions.  I think you'll be pleasantly surprised as it appears that we finally have a voice of reason on the topic.  I hi-lighted key passages for your benefit.  This is not a free pass to launch into the clouds on a cold February day east of Buffalo, but it does clear the muddy waters that have surrounded this issue for too long.  Safe flight into potential icing conditions requires training and judgement.  Scroll down on the "Weather" section under "Training" on this site for resources on cold weather operations.

 
Pilot Workshops has published a multimedia IFR Proficiency Series designed to raise your instrument flying to a higher standard.  The real strength of this program is the team of expert flight instructors assembled, including former designated examiner, Wally Moran, who has administered a number of instrument checkrides for AirShares pilots in the NY area.  Click the logo above for more information.