CAA Radiotelephony Manual – free download
On 21/12/2009, in Bookshelf, by steve
There are certain books that should not be missing from any pilot’s or controller’s kits. Among these is the UK CAA’s Radiotelephony Manual (CAP 413). Now in its 19th edition, it has numerous additions and clarifications (including the call sign suffix “Super” for the Airbus A380) that we all must be aware of.
If you think this is nothing for you, think again. A leading cause of runway incursions the world over is improper radiotelephony usage… It is easy to slip into “slang” when we repeat the same limited set of expressions over and over again, especially when our friends on the other end of the radio tend to do the same. The result? Incident reports aplenty in which radiotelephony figures in a prominent place.
Browsing a volume like CAP 413 is an easy way to remind us of the many things we thought we knew as well as to learn about the new things in town.
You can get your free copy of the Radiotelephony Manual here.
U.K. airspace “developments”?
On 26/11/2009, in Viewpoint, by cleo
A short article in Aviation Week and Space Technology caught my eye the other day. “Restructuring U.K. Skies” was the title and it announced that the U.K.’s Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) was beginning the process of defining airspace out to 2030, with industry-wide dialogue to begin in 2010. I counted the number of times the word “airspace” appeared in the item: six. I also counted the number of times the words trajectory based operations appeared. ZERO.
I think it is fair to assume that the editors of Aviation Week would have used the term “trajectory based operation” if they had seen it in the CAA’s press release or the “Airspace for Tomorrow” guidance document. So, its complete lack can be safely taken for an indication of its absence in the CAA’s material.
The United Kingdom is part of SESAR and experts from NATS have been involved in the writing of the SESAR Concept of Operations. So what gives?
Click here to read the full article
Near-miss on demand
On 20/11/2009, in Life around runways, by steve
In the late 70’s our authority decided to commission a series of training movies for air traffic controllers and engineers. The purpose was to show some of the most commonly occurring errors, give an analysis of the causes and provide some guidance on how to avoid them. I was selected to write the script for the ATC episodes.
By the time the movie was to be made, we were limited to just four events, probably due to cost considerations. Like in any other profession, also in air traffic control, errors, human and otherwise, do occur but most of the time nothing serious happens. The safety system makes sure of that. So there is a wide range from which to select but which four should be included in the movie? I was sure however that one particular incident would get included. Not only would it highlight a real problem, it would also have tremendous visual impact. Something that was begging to be immortalized on film.
I will not go into the details of the error that led to two mid-sized aircraft loaded with passengers finding themselves at a few feet from each other, one just lifting off, the other aborting its landing, desperately climbing to avoid a collision. It did happen… The question was now: how do we recreate this near miss for the camera?
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Interesting people, unusual flight plans…
On 04/10/2009, in Interesting people, by steve
Rob Mead – Long-way turn from Yellowstone to Seattle
I put passion into
everything I did...
What were you dreaming of becoming when you were a kid?
Actually… I did not dream of anything in particular. I put passion into everything I did, wanted to be good in what I did… I always felt that life was going in a good direction and I just went with it.
What made you become part of the aviation family?
The blame for that goes to the US Air Force. By pure chance I ended up flying in the back of RC135s and never looked back since. I knew right from the start that flying was the pladce to be for me. Still feel the same way.
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Fly on the right – A mid air mitigation
On 03/08/2009, in View from the left seat, by alex
On 29 September 2006, A GOL B737-800 and a private Embraer Legacy business jet collided at FL360 some 200 miles north of Brasilia, over the Amazon Jungle. The Embraer’s left winglet hit the 737’s left wing, and the 737 crashed killing all on board. The Embraer was luckier, and made a successful emergency landing at the Cachimbo air base.
Both aircraft were equipped with transponders and TCAS, so how could it have happened? But the technicalities divert attention from a vastly more important point: Was it simply bad luck that the aircraft were so close together horizontally that they collided?
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