Industry certification and safety news
"Point Out. A physical or automated action taken by a controller to transfer the radar identification of an aircraft to another controller if the aircraft will or may enter the airspace or protected airspace of another controller and radio communications will not be transferred."
- FAA ORDER JO 7110.65T
The first segment in a video series, Protecting your Certificate-Keeping it Safe and Legal, presented by the Federal Aviation Administration and @AopaOrg_General-Aviation. This series covers important information that pilots and aircraft owners need to know and understand when it comes to flying passengers and property, safely and legally.
Get Advisory Circular 61-142 at https://bit.ly/AC61142.
“Assess the risk of flight in wet snow conditions, especially at low altitudes,” says the NTSB.
“Flight in wet snow and associated icing conditions can lead to deadly consequences. While snow is typically thought to consist of all-frozen water, snowfall can also contain liquid particles either on the flakes or liquid particles falling amongst the snowflakes. This is what is commonly referred to as wet snow. The liquid portions of wet snow have the potential to freeze onto surfaces that the snow comes in contact with (for example, aircraft) and pose a significant hazard to safety of flight through structural, engine, and windshield ice accumulation.”
More on wet snow, related accidents and possible actions by operators are discussed in NTSB Safety Alert 082.
FAA’s From the Flight Deck video series uses cockpit mounted cameras to capture runway and taxiway footage and combines them with diagrams and visual graphics to clearly identify hot spots and other safety-sensitive items. Learn more at https://www.faa.gov/go/FromTheFlightDeck
This video focuses on airport surface operations during winter weather. Failure to properly prepare for and execute appropriate cold weather airport operations has led to runway incursions, resulting in collisions with snow removal or maintenance operators, and serious runway excursion accidents.
Several risk factors are present during winter weather that are not normally found during the other seasons. Contaminated surfaces including runways, taxiways, and ramps can present a major hazard to aircraft. An iced over taxiway and a strong wind can easily move a general aviation aircraft in a direction other than the direction the pilot intended. Snow drifts can obscure signage and markings both on the surface and alongside the runway or taxiway, making it difficult for the pilot to know where to hold short or turn. Several systems and initiatives are in place to help pilots better understand the surface conditions at their airport, and how they may affect aircraft performance.
These videos are intended to assist pilots in navigating complex taxiway and runway configurations ahead of actual flight operations. Cockpit and wing mounted GoPro cameras were used to capture 4K resolution video and combined with airport diagrams and visual graphics to clearly identify hot spots and other safety-sensitive items that pilots may encounter.
It’s better to ‘know before you go’ — FAA’s From the Flight Deck video series is available exclusively on YouTube. Subscribe to this channel to watch actual approach and taxi footage from airports across the U.S., or visit https://www.faa.gov/go/FromTheFlightDeck for a map of featured locations.
Additional links and resources on this topic can be found at the video’s YouTube page.
New Jersey Special Use Airspace
Notice Number: NOTC1370
JB MDL (Joint Base McGuire – DIX – Lakehurst) Flight Safety is currently tracking an increase in Hazardous Air Traffic Reporting events related to conflicts between military and civilian aircraft within Alert Area A-220. In recent months, reports have been filed by USAF aircrews that included TCAS “Resolution Advisory” events with non-communicating light civil aircraft. This is a serious safety concern, as an increased potential for midair collisions exist when Air Traffic Control is unable to verify the altitude and type of GA aircraft.
As a reminder, the Aeronautical Information Manual (AIM) defines an Alert Area as Special Use Airspace that is “depicted on aeronautical charts to inform non-participating pilots of areas that may contain a high volume of pilot training or an unusual type of aerial activity. Pilots should be particularly alert when flying in these areas…and pilots of participating aircraft, as well as pilots transiting the area must be equally responsible for collision avoidance.” [AIM 3-4-6]
The airfields that comprise JB MDL are home to a wide variety of aircraft and a multitude of activities. Our aircrews operate both VFR and IFR, day and night, seven days a week. When transiting the area on any given day, you may encounter KC-10s and 757s in the radar pattern, helicopters flying near treetop level, two- and four-ship formations of C-130s or F-16s, and C-17s performing VFR maneuvers at low altitudes. The vast majority of these activities occur between 500 AGL and 5500 MSL at speeds up to 250 knots, but occasionally higher or lower altitudes are utilized. While not inherently unsafe or unusual in a controlled environment, they may pose a threat to non-participating aircraft.
JB MDL pilots and controllers are asking for your help.
Because of the base’s strategic geographic position and the types of operations that occur in and around the airspace, McGuire’s Radar Approach Control facility, or RAPCON, is a busy place. Any aircraft without a verified altitude, heading, or tail number ultimately creates a hazardous environment for both participating and non-participating aircraft.
To improve the safety of all operators in the area, we strongly recommend that all civil VFR aircraft contact McGuire Approach Control on 126.47 prior to entering the Alert Area and request flight following. If you’re not comfortable talking to ATC, this is a great opportunity to practice! Our controllers are some of the most professional men and women you will encounter in the system, and they share a common goal of making this dynamic airspace as safe and efficient as possible.
If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please contact us at (609) 754-6852/3484, or 305.AMW.SEF@us.af.mil