Readback

Cirrus Aircraft officials had been hoping to deliver the first SF50 Vision jet by the end of last year, but the company said in January that schedule has stretched to sometime in the first half of this year. Mooney International Corp.s M10T proof-of-concept model completed its first flight, in December, from Chino Airport in California. The M10T, unveiled in 2014 at the Zhuhai Airshow in China, is aimed at Chinas flight training market, and will be manufactured there. The FAA launched its drone registry in late December, and within the first three weeks, about 180,000 drone users had registered. In the NTSBs annual list of most-wanted safety improvements for aviation, loss-of-control accidents repeated from last years choice for general aviation. Anticipating that Congress will consider changing how the FAA is funded in this years spring session, 15 general-aviation advocacy groups signed a letter in December asking the U.S. House to hear their real and long-standing concerns about the expected proposals.

Basic altimetry is well covered in various texts, but some aspects can be confusing. Theres not enough material for a full article, but here are a few basics. To my knowledge, the only reason that a speed restriction would be used on an ODP is to reduce the turn radius. Since this procedure has a defined route, thats probably whats happening here. Regardless of their ability to actually see the airport, they were flying under IFR in weather below VMC.

For years Ive been suggesting to NACO to stop using nonsense five-letter identifiers that were impossible to pronounce and usually led to confusion in actual IMC, and replace them with numerical identifiers. I read Decembers Need a Sim Instructor? with great interest because I have a FlyThisSim TouchTrainer BATD with a current LOA. BWI was recently clearing departures to fly the TERPZ FIVE from Runway 15R. The plan view of the procedure has the notation in the top-right corner of the first page: Top Altitude 4000.

IFR reader feedback from January's issue. Covers ICAO flight plans, Class D airspace handoffs, TSO requirements, and runway approach authorization.

IFR reader feedback from November's issue. Covers instrument currency, TEC routes, and aircraft landing.

Ive spent many hours in a hotel listening to the briefer from 1-800-VFR-not-recommended drone on about places I couldnt visualize while simultaneously trying to grasp the big picture. There has to be a better way, and the answer is simply not to get rid of the FA.

In the sidebar section Everything You Say Can and Will… of Tarrance Kramers Fibbing on Frequency in August, he said that everything you say is recorded. I once heard that a controller can put a hack mark on the tape to mark where a discussion or a disagreement has taken place. True?

I was reviewing the December 2014 issue of IFR. On page 5, in the Readback section, you mentioned the importance of Chapter 17 in the Pilots Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge. Which edition of the handbook were you referring to? My edition does not have a Chapter 17. Which topic were you emphasizing? Id like to get the correct edition of the handbook so I can review the material you were mentioning?

While I was working on my instrument rating, I sought advice from a number of sources. One group of pilot friends said that with an instrument rating-or even now, to get in the habit-I should file/follow Victor airways. Another group says Why? No need to follow land-based navaids; just file direct.

Last fall as I was departing Reno, NV (KRNO), the weather was 1500 overcast (6000 MSL), tops 10,000 MSL, surface temp +10 C and there was no precipitation. I was flying my pressurized, turbocharged, FIKI-certified Cessna 414. Id flight planned for FL 190. I hand flew the departure because that is recommended when potential icing conditions exist. In the climb I noticed light rime ice on the leading edges of the wings. I was watching carefully for decreasing performance (airspeed, rate of climb, etc.) and all seemed quite normal.

I read your editorial The Drones Are Here with interest. You asked the question When was the last time you flew below 400 feet away from an airport? My answer is: yesterday.As a seaplane pilot, I do this all the time over bodies of water. So do thousands of other seaplane and helicopter pilots. There is no way on earth that we would ever be able to see and avoid these tiny toy aircraft-at least not in time for the avoid part-and for sure, their untrained operators would not be likely to anticipate and avoid us. It is not a matter of if, but when someone will be killed by these dangerous drone operations. I guess our lives are less important than the interests of hundreds of thousands of drone hobbyists.

Rick Durdens December 2014 complex article about tailplane icing was well researched and well written. It also proved prophetic.At Cincinnati Municipal while my L-39 was being fueled, Bill Rieke, an icing researcher, came over to chat. He said that he thought the L-39 would be particularly susceptible to tailplane icing and stall because of the smallness of tailplane, the thinness of the airfoil and the need for ventral VGs.