Flight Training - January 2012 - 15

BY ROD MACHADO

bounced, but I didn’t understand why. Can you help? Shelly Greetings Shelly: Here’s one reason this might have happened. First, your true airspeed is higher at higher altitudes. As you approach the runway, you’re actually moving over the ground faster than you normally would for the same approach speed at a lower elevation airport. Your brain equates moving faster with being closer to the ground than you actually are. Therefore, your brain signals you to flare sooner—at a higher altitude—where the ground appears to move slightly slower, similar to the speed

it would move when you’re landing at a lower-elevation airport. Unless you consciously compensate for this perceptual difference, you might add an entirely new meaning to the term, "dropping in" for an airport visit. Dear Rod: Is it OK for an instructor to intentionally modify (OK, falsify) my logbook records? Think of me as having only some of the required instruction time that he logged in my book. He’s a great instructor and I like him, but I don’t want to get him in trouble. And I don’t want trouble, either. What do I do? Ms. L.

Greetings Ms. L.: No, it’s not OK for your instructor to falsify your records—period! Tell him to stop doing this and have him make good on the incorrect insertions. Either change those records, or do the necessary flying to legitimize them. If he refuses to do either and seems unrepentant, then dump the chump. He’s exposing you (as well as himself ) to FAA legal action should these falsifications ever be revealed. You deserve better.
Rod Machado is a flight instructor, author, educator, and speaker. He has been a pilot since 1970 and a CFI since 1973. Visit his blog (www.

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Airspace on the go
Flash cards make it easy to learn
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Free AOPA ASI Safety Seminars 1/09/2012 1/09/2012 1/10/2012 1/10/2012 1/11/2012 1/11/2012
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Reno, NV Mesa, AZ Tucson, AZ Sacramento, CA Milpitas, CA El Paso, TX Santa Rosa, CA Albuquerque, NM Addison, TX Jackson, MS Baton Rouge, LA Fort Worth, TX Atlanta, GA San Diego, CA Costa Mesa, CA W. Houston, TX Ontario, CA San Antonio, TX Frederick, MD Austin, TX

IT IS OUR responsibility to thor-

oughly understand and apply the rules that govern the sky: Our personal safety and hard-earned certificates are at stake if we don’t. Different Floors of But, remembering various airClass E Airspace space dimensions and depictions, including relevant regulations can be a daunting task, especially with looming pressure of an upcoming checkride or flight review. That’s why ASI has developed Class E Airspace, airspace flash cards toSurface Area practimake it cal for pilots at any certificate level to absorb and retain critical knowledge. The cards, which easily fit in your flight bag, include a color depiction of the airspace, a description of its characteristics, and a discussion question. Visit the website (www.airsafety institute.org/airspacecards) to download the cards.
Ref: NACO Aeronautical

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1/12/2012 1/12/2012 1/17/2012 1/17/2012

Chart User’s Guide

n: Where am I like encounter differences in ly to Class E airspace depicted by this symbol? : Typically in areas of hig h terrain (the Grand Canyo n, for example), and off the ea st and west coasts of the United Sta tes.
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Questio

• dentifies different I floor leve greater than 700 feet agl ls of airspace • hen the ceiling is l W ess than msl, the value, prefixed by t 18,000 “ceiling,” will be shown alo he word ng the limits of the airspace boundaries

Description

Answer

Ref. AIM 7-4-6

Special Conservation Area

n: Can I legally op below 2,000 agl within erate a special conservation area? Answer

Questio

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• Not Applicable

Requirements/Limitat

For more information, tak e ASI’s Know Before You Go online course Go airsafetyinstitute.org/kby at www. g.

• urrounds many nat S ional parks, wildlife refuges, etc.

Description

ions

ions • ilots are requeste P d to avoi 2,000 agl in these areas d flight below

Requirements/Limitat

: Yes, but you are reques ted to maintain a minimum a ltitude of 2,000 agl whenever pos sible. This can also help you avoid bird strikes at low altitudes.
For more information, tak e ASI’s Know Before You Go online course airsafetyinstitute.org/kby at www. g.

1/18/2012 1/18/2012 1/20/2012 1/23/2012 1/24/2012 1/24/2012 1/25/2012 1/25/2012 1/25/2012 1/26/2012

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Ref. FAR 91.127 and

AIM 3-2-6(e)(1)

Question: Are Class E sur always depicted with a d face areas ashed magenta line?

• round some airports A , Class E begins at the surface, rathe airspace r than the normal 700 or 1,200 agl • lass D airports wi C th part-ti usually become Class E su me towers rface areas when the tower is not in op eration

Description

Answer: No. When the t ower ar a Class D airport is clos ed, the airspace—which is depic ted with a dashed blue line—may r evert to a Class E surface area.

Ref. FAR 91.127 and

Class E Airspace, Transition Area (700 agl)
AIM 3-2-6(e)(3)

Question: What purpose do Class E transition areas serve? : Class E transition areas exist to help IFR traffic transit ion to or from the terminal or en route environment. For more information, tak e ASI’s Know Before You Go online course at www. airsafetyinstitute.org/kby g. Answer

Below 10,000 msl: • Visibility: Three statute mil es • Cloud clearance: - 500 feet below - 1,000 feet above - ,000 feet horizonta 2 l

Requirements/Limitat

ions

For more information, tak e ASI’s Know Before You Go online course airsafetyinstitute.org/kby at www. g.

• Surrounds many nontowere d airports • xtends Class E air E space do accommodate IFR procedur wnward to es Below 10,000 msl: • Visibility: Three statute mil es • Cloud clearance: - 500 feet below - 1,000 feet above - ,000 feet horizonta 2 l

Description

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Requirements/Limitat

ions

www.asf.org/seminars

JANUARY 2012 FLIGHT TRAINING

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http://www.rodmachado.com http://www.rodmachado.com http://www.airsafetyinstitute.org/kbyg http://www.airsafetyinstitute.org http://www.airsafetyinstitute.org/airspacecards http://www.airsafetyinstitute.org/airspacecards http://www.asf.org/seminars

Flight Training - January 2012

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Flight Training - January 2012