Flight Training - August 2011 - 18

PREFLIGHT»

TECH TIP

Reporting point
What is the controller asking?
AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLERS often ask

pilots to report a certain number of miles from downwind, base, and so on. But where exactly is the controller asking you to report from? Generally, the answer is the requested number of miles from the next point. So if a controller says, “report three mile left base,” he or she expects you to report three miles prior to turning final on the base leg. That goes for left or right base, final ( just the distance from the runway generally), and others.
AOPA ACTION

"Report three mile left base."

‘Save GPS’ effort focused on Congress
GPS system being threatened by new technology
AN EFFORT UNDER way across industries and government to protect GPS signals from

interference by other bandwidth users is now focused on the U.S. Congress. The Coalition to Save Our GPS, of which AOPA is an active member, is urging members of the House and Senate to register their concerns with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) about the risk of signal interference or degradation that GPS could face from mobile network operator LightSquared’s plan to expand into bandwidth adjacent to that used by GPS. LightSquared received a conditional waiver to proceed if testing—to be performed under the company’s supervision—reveals no threat to the much lower-powered GPS signals. “Our industry cannot allow GPS to be threatened by interference and we appreciate Congress’ attention to this urgent matter,” said AOPA Vice President of Legislative Affairs Lorraine Howerton, who serves as the chair of the General Aviation Working Group on the coalition. She continued, “AOPA is proud to work with our industry stakeholders in an effort to educate members [of Congress] on the disruptive consequences that will arise from the FCC’s hasty and ill-advised waiver to LightSquared.” On behalf of the aviation industry, AOPA and fellow aviation coalition members ATA, EAA, GAMA, NATA, and NBAA have been working to rally more members of Congress to the cause of ensuring the integrity of GPS. “This is a matter of serious concern to the aviation industry and much of U.S. commerce, and we respectfully request that you require the FCC to take all steps necessary to protect the GPS,” the aviation coalition members wrote in recent letters. “Thousands of aircraft use GPS receivers for navigation, including approach and landing, and it is central to the Federal Aviation Administration’s ADS-B-based Next Generation Air Transportation System. GPS is used for the cellular telephone E-911 program and helps first responders locate people in emergencies,” the letters to the elected officials said. “We are extremely concerned that these receivers could be jammed within miles of LightSquared’s transmitters and the consequences of disruption to the GPS signals are far-reaching, creating 40,000 ‘dead spots’ each miles in diameter through U.S. cities.”

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Flight Training - August 2011

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Flight Training - August 2011