Vintage Instructor THE
BY DOUG STEWART
All available info
A
s I was departing the pattern of my home base airport a few days ago, heading out to the practice area to do some air work with a client in my PA-12, I overheard a pilot announce that he was 10 miles out to the southwest and inbound for landing. Hearing that, I knew that I would have to be especially diligent in my “see and avoid” collision avoidance scan, as I was headed to the south myself. But the next thing the pilot said increased my concern. He asked: “Uh…which runway you using at Columbia County?” Since I had just announced not only the runway I was departing on, but further, the direction of my departure, and since there were several other planes in the pattern, all making proper announcements of what they were doing, I couldn’t help but wonder if this inbound pilot was using his ears as well as his mouth. As the communications continued, my concern increased. His next communication asked which way the wind was blowing. As there is an automated weather observing system (AWOS) at the airport, it was obvious that this inbound pilot had not spent the time listening to it to find out all the pertinent information relative to the ceiling, visibility, wind, and barometric pressure. At this point I decided to alter my course to the southeast and increase my vigilance out the window.
32 NOVEMBER 2009
Within a minute or two the inbound pilot now asked: “Uh . . . Columbia County . . . Uh . . . do you have right- or left-hand traffic?” At this point the hackles went up on the back of my neck. What was up with this inbound pilot?
Had he done no planning whatsoever for his flight?
Had he done no planning whatsoever for his flight? Was he totally reliant upon others to give him the information that he needed? Did he not have a sectional chart or an Airport/Facility Directory (A/FD) with him in the airplane that provided at least some of the information for which he seemed ignorant? I’m surprised he didn’t ask the traffic pattern altitude as his next question. And lastly, was he unaware of FAR 91.103, Preflight Action? Let’s review some important rel-
evant parts of FAR 91.103 just for a moment. It states: “Each pilot in command shall, before beginning a flight, become familiar with all available information concerning that flight. This information must include: (a) For a flight…not in the vicinity of an airport, weather reports and forecasts, fuel requirements, alternatives available if the planned flight cannot be completed . . . (b) For any flight, runway lengths at airports of intended use . . . .” Let’s take a look at where we might go to obtain all that available information, and as well, how to document that we have indeed gotten all that information. Let us also be aware that the terms “all available information” and “in the vicinity of an airport” are not defined in FAR Part 1. Thus there is the potential to incur a violation of these regulations predicated upon the interpretation of a local FAA inspector. Whether their interpretation stands up, would remain to be determined by the National Transportation Safety Board, but in the meantime, if a pilot is charged with a violation, that pilot would have to spend significant time and expense in his or her own defense. Certainly one of the best places to start is either with a briefer or by obtaining a direct user access terminal system (DUATS) briefing. Regardless of which source we use, there is a record kept of our having gotten that briefing. I
can’t help but wonder it the pilot described above had bothered to get a briefing. Had he come to the airport yesterday at the same time of day as he had in the described scenario, he would have had a chance to observe some military aircraft up close and personal, as our airport was closed for a presidential temporary flight restriction (TFR) until late afternoon. Nowhere in 91.103 do we see TFRs included in “all available information,” but I can assure you that this regulation would be referred to in the document charging a pilot with a violation. There are certainly many other resources for obtaining weather information in addition to flight service and the DUATS providers, and many of us, myself included, do indeed use those resources. In fact I typically look at several different Internet websites to obtain some fantastic weather information, AviationWeather.gov heading the list. For me a picture is worth a thousand words, and the graphical information available on these websites makes my selfbriefing much more valuable. But the question remains, how do we document that we have been to those websites? The simplest way I know is to print out the relative web pages we have viewed. It might be difficult to prove that we have ensured sufficient fuel for the trip, and I can assure you that many pilots have been successfully charged with violation of 91.103 in fuel exhaustion accidents and incidents. Quite often these violations come about as a result of the pilot’s own admission of negligence in one way or another. Forewarned should be forearmed. Okay, you say that your flight will be in the vicinity of the airport, and therefore you might not have gotten a briefing. But let us all be aware that the FAA chief counsel said that “The FAA has no specific, fixed definition of ‘vicinity,’ but instead, interprets its meaning on a case-by-case basis.” (1-28-92) In
some situations, anything away from the traffic pattern might be interpreted as not in the vicinity of the airport. All I will say here is that a word to the wise should suffice. Let’s go back to that pilot inbound to my home base. On that particular day, the wind had been lightly blowing out of the south all day long. Had our errant pilot gotten a briefing he should have been aware of that fact, even if he was oblivious to the tail wind pushing him northward. With the runway at my home base aligned 03-21, it should have been self-evident that landings that day would be to the south. But even if he hadn’t been aware of the southerly winds, a check of the AWOS prior to reaching “10 miles out” would have informed him of the winds. Certainly if he had a current sectional on board, that frequency would have been available to him. And the question about right- or left-hand traffic would have been answered on that sectional as well. If there were right-hand traffic for either or all runways, it would be denoted in the airport data information on the sectional chart with the notation “RP” and for which runway(s). Another source for this information is the Airport/Facility Directory, also known as the little green book. Perhaps you live in an area where it is difficult to get a current copy of the A/FD. And it will be getting even harder as the government cuts back on the number
of fixed base operators and flight schools that can sell these, as the government increases the volume requirements to qualify as a dealer. If that is your situation, please be aware that the A/FD is now available in a digital format on the FAA website. Go to www.NACO.FAA. gov/index.asp?xml=naco/online/d_ afd where you can download the information for the airports of your intended landings. There are some pilots who would consider the term “all available information” as somewhat ambiguous and therefore disregard the need to get as much info as they can prior to a flight. Failing to do so might get a pilot in trouble with the FAA, but more importantly, not having as much information as one can possibly have could put one in an unsafe situation. A pilot who just “kicks the tires and lights the fires” without finding out as much as possible about everything relative to the flight is being negligent in the duties of being a pilot in command. So the next time you are beckoned aloft by blue skies and tail winds, be sure that you launch with as much “available information” as you can get. Doug Stewart is the 2004 National Certificated Flight Instructor of the Year, a NAFI Master Instructor, and a designated pilot examiner. He operates DSFI Inc. (www.DSFlight.com), based at the Columbia County Airport (1B1).
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 33