There are three questions pilots should never stop asking themselves to improve airmanship through heightened situational awareness.

Pilots are often told how good situational awareness (SA) is an attribute of being a good pilot. It’s true!  But what does it mean to be “situationally aware” and what does it take to maintain this awareness?  Here’s one way to learn more about yourself and how to achieve heightened awareness.

Situational awareness is the active process of interpreting what’s happening around you (the pilot), and your bubble (the airplane and the flight environment). As pilots, we should continually strive to understand where we are, what we’re doing, and our next intended action. But we often get busy and forgot to ask ourselves those questions proactively.  By creating a mantra of those three questions, we can build and maintain a clear picture of where we are, what’s happening around us., and where the plane is headed. By consciously reciting this mantra, we remain actively engaged in our flight environment and create situational awareness. 

Where am I? – What am I doing? – What’s next? Once this mantra becomes woven into your thinking, you’ll notice how your workload lessens and attention to other details improves – like earlier recognition of aircraft around you, better cockpit organization, and incorporating more technology in the plane and our EFBs. This ultimately leads to better aeronautical decision making. So, here’s the challenge: On your next flight start incorporating these three questions into your thinking.  See how long you can keep repeating the mantra throughout the flight or if distractions consume your attention. You’ll learn first-hand how you process distractions and get to practice a new discipline that will improve your overall airmanship and become a safer, more confident pilot.

It’s the time of year that many of us await with bated breath. It’s Seafair in Seattle! With sights and sounds from the hydroplane races, fleet week, and the ever popular highlighted by the US Navy Blue Angels, you’re sure to find something that tickles your fancy. Seafair has been a tradition in the city of Seattle since 1950, and Â鶹ĘÓƵ has enjoyed it every year!

To protect general aviation operations and the performers, the FAA has issued Temporary Flight Restrictions (TFRs) during practices and performances. There will be TFRs up several times each day Thursday through Sunday this week. Boeing Field’s airspace (and the surrounding area within the TFR) will be closed during practice and airshow performance times. Those closures are as follows:

Boeing Field’s airspace (and the surrounding area within the TFR) will be closed during practice and airshow performance times. Those closures are as follows:SaveSave

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Thursday, August 3:

• 11:00 AM – 1:00 PM
• 2:20 PM – 3:30 PM

Friday, August 4:

• 10:40 AM – 11:45 AM
• 1:00 PM – 1:50 PM
• 3:20 PM – 4:30 PM

Saturday, August 5:

• 11:15 AM – 12:20 PM
• 1:05 PM – 1:50 PM
• 3:20 PM – 4:30 PM

Sunday, August 6:

• 11:25 AM – 12:30 PM
• 1:05 PM – 1:50 PM
• 3:20 PM – 4:30 PM 

If you have a rental or training reservation during these times, please take a moment to review your plans and make adjustments as necessary to avoid operation in the area. Perhaps a little shift in departure or arrival time will provide a great opportunity for a cross-country flight or lunch trip. Maybe now is a good time to visit that airport you have yet to get a stamp from in your . Let us know how we can help adjust your reservation to ensure you don’t miss out on a beautiful day flying. Keep in mind the TFRs are centered around Seward Park, just northeast of KBFI, so flights to the south and west will keep you out of the busy area.

For those customers who want to see the some of the aerial show ramp-side at Â鶹ĘÓƵ please be aware that you will need to be escorted by a Â鶹ĘÓƵ employee with Airport Badge or have your Pilot’s Certificate and Photo ID on you at all times. Airport security will be on high alert to ensure everyone’s safety.

For information regarding NOTAMs and/or Temporary Flight Restrictions (TFR), contact Leidos Flight Service at 1-800-WX-BRIEF or , visit the FAA NOTAM website at , or visit the FAA TFR website at .

Pilots looking to rent or train in this aircraft are requested to first download Garmin’s GTN and GTN Xi trainer apps (computer or iPad devices) and explore the functionality of these avionics from the comfort (and lower cost) of home. You can also find full information on this specific plane . Get a feel for how flight and engine information is displayed, how to program frequencies, and tracking VOR or GPS courses. Once you have a grasp of the avionics, reach out to the front desk at scheduling@galvinflying.com and request to fly with an instructor to complete the checkout. 

On the flight, you can expect to demonstrate proficiency in frequency tuning, GPS and VOR tracking, and navigating the G3X displays. You will also have the opportunity to see how to disable the Envelope & Stability Protection (ESP) system for maneuvers (incorporating a new angle of attack sensor) and how to utilize the Garmin Smart Glide button in the event of an emergency. 

This airplane has some incredible new bells and whistles – completely unique among our fleet –  and we want to ensure all pilots are comfortable and proficient in their operation so you can enjoy the convenience and safety features on your next adventure. It truly is a joy to fly and we hope you take the opportunity to get checked out as soon as possible for your next cross-country or instrument flight!

A famous features students playing basketball. You’re told to count how many times the students wearing white shirts pass the ball. It seems like a simple test, but, as you probably suspect, there’s a catch. (Which, so as not to spoil the video, I’ll reveal later.)

That simple exercise of tracking a ball in a busy scene is a good example of how challenging the traffic pattern at Boeing Field can be. When tower says that you’re number three on downwind for runway 14L and you’re also looking out for big jets and their wingtip vortices approaching the parallel, it’s easy to lose track of who’s who and keep your place in the sequence.

In fact, we’ve had several reports lately of pilots not hearing or failing to follow the tower’s instructions to extend downwind. Instead, they turn inside of another aircraft on base or final, cutting off the traffic they’re supposed to follow.

There’s no simple solution to this complicated problem, which involves the basic difficulty of spotting other aircraft, especially when they’re below you, camouflaged in ground clutter. Our eyes may be sharp, but our vision system is fallible, especially when complex tasks, like flying an airplane, are competing for our attention.

Nevertheless, you can adopt techniques that help you focus on what’s most important—such as joining and flying a safe, orderly traffic pattern in accordance with ATC’s instructions or with the flow at a non-towered airport.

First, well before you approach an airport, take care of the airplane. Complete a cockpit flow and review the appropriate before-landing checklist. Make sure that you have all the avionics set up for arrival so that you don’t have to go heads-down to enter waypoints or tune frequencies. With those tasks accomplished, you can devote more attention to what’s ahead. And you won’t have a face full of checklist as you approach the airport.

Next, when you’re ready to listen, tune the ATIS/AWOS and absorb the information.

Now, based on that information, brief your plan for arrival, noting the runway in use and whether you’re hoping to do pattern work or land.

Next, tune the tower frequency or CTAF while you’re still far enough away to listen for a bit so that you can start developing situational awareness. Who’s already in the pattern? What types of aircraft are zipping around the skies?

Finally, contact the tower, state your intentions, and focus on the instructions ATC gives you. If you’re at a non-towered airport, start solving the puzzle of how you’ll join the festivities.

If you remain in the pattern for touch-and-goes, take breath on each downwind leg to complete a cockpit flow.

Using this methodical approach to arriving at and flying the pattern will allow you to focus on what’s critical during approach and landing.

And the odds are better that you’ll see that gorilla dancing through the scene.

By Bruce Williams – CFI, CFII

When you embark upon your lifelong voyage to learn how to fly, you are immediately faced with a decision.  Should you train under 14 CFR part 61 or part 141 rules?  These codes refer to chapters of the FAA regulations which govern how flight education can proceed. 

Historically speaking, part 61 came first.  It involved the FAA generally stipulating how to train a pilot.  Years later, a couple flight schools banded together and lobbied the FAA for reform.  The challenge that the flight schools offered was to see if they could reduce the number of hours required to train a pilot.  So, in 1978, the FAA published part 141.  At its essence, the the ability to train in fewer minimum hours with the caveat being that the FAA needed to be more intimately involved with their training process.  Operationally, this obligates the flight schools to use an FAA-approved syllabus, maintain detailed record keeping on students and instructors, and be transparent in the success rates of their students. 

Â鶹ĘÓƵ offers a full range of part 141 courses to meet the needs a diverse student base. For a flight school, part 141 credentials need to be renewed every two years and the process by which a flight school earns and retains their part 141 certification is a rigorous one.  Ongoing quality monitoring is required with that credential renewal cycle.  To maintain credentials, a flight school is required to demonstrate that 80% of their students can pass a check ride on their first attempt.  The caveat is that there must be at least ten students who pass.  For the 2019-2020 period, Â鶹ĘÓƵ successfully met this challenge with a graduation pass rate of 100%.  This is an increase from 95% for the previous 2-year cycle.

The part 141 benefits for private pilots, start with reducing the minimum hours from 40 to 35.  Because the national average is 65 hours to complete the private certificate, it is unlikely that the 5 hours will make a difference in net cost.  However, the part 141 program does allow students to enroll in flight training as part of a collegiate programs.  So, for younger individuals who are career-minded, they can leverage a part 141 program as a broader education plan towards their bachelor’s degrees.  This will ultimately allow them to achieve their airline transport pilot requirements with 500 fewer hours and possibly shave years from the low-income parts of their careers. 

International students and military veterans also benefit greatly.  There is a high volume of individuals who come to the United States for their flight training.  The US immigration policies allow for a visa to be issued to them to conduct this training.  However, the visa is tied to a formalized program certificated under part 141. To that end, part 141 is really the only pathway for international students to conduct their training.  Veterans are often able to use their Montgomery GI bill funds to further their education.  The government will only allow them to do so in the structure of a part 141 environment.  Therefore, enrollment in part 141 is beneficial unless they are willing to pay out-of-pocket for the training.

One notable feature of part 141 training is that the ground portion and the flight portion are treated separately, yet certain elements join in well under the right circumstances.  Part 141 ground training provides students with excellent structure towards learning basic concepts.  It gives the student a starting point for their studying verses part 61 ground where the student must determine how to sift through different volumes of knowledge which may become very confusing.  The 141-ground training provides a clear path through the material and makes it easy to get through the written exam.  This, in of itself, can bolster your progress with the flight portion and is an excellent tool for part 61 students.  Conducting flight training via part 61 does not preclude one from taking advantage of this perk.  With 141 flight training, the ground component is required.  When conducted by the same flight school, there can be overlap between the ground and the flight portions, provided that the ground portion stays ahead of the pace of the flight portion.  However, when the ground portion is completed through an online course or at a different flight school, it must be completed prior to commencement of the flight portion.  In either situation, for 141 flight students, the fact that the ground portion is either completed prior to undertaking the flight syllabus or prior to the current lesson assures the student is better prepared for an accelerated training schedule.  In turn, this leads to a reduction in flight hours and cost of their training.

Training towards the instrument rating and commercial tickets have different opportunities under part 141 rules.  The total training hours for the instrument rating is, like for the private pilot certificate, reduced from 40 to 35 hours.  However, in doing so, the 50 cross-country hour requirement is waived.  So, by enrolling in a part 141 program, the student eliminates an extremely expensive time building task.  Moreover, the instrument training is highly procedural and applying strict adherence to an approved syllabus makes it easier for an instructor to guide a student through their training. The elimination of the cross-country requirement also propagates through to the commercial certificate by allowing a student to complete it at 190 hours, instead of 250 hours as required under part 61. 

While the notion of training under part 141 can seem daunting to students and, at times, instructors, there are noticeably clear benefits which need to be reviewed between the instructor and the student.  Part 141 training is not for everyone; however, many students can derive significant cost-savings benefits depending on their goal.  It is the responsibility of the flight instructor to help qualify the student to ensure that they get the optimal pathway to achieve their goals.  This is often a function of the student’s background, ambitions, and personality.  It is easy to switch a student out of a part 141 program; however, it is much harder to switch them into it should they choose to start part 61.  So, while it may seem to be an unclear decision to make from the beginning, it is an important one which requires deliberate thought.  However, once that is settled, you can take to the skies!

The Insidious Nature of Aircraft Icing

In the mid 1950’s, a pilot learning to fly in Eastern Washington state seldom worried about ice. He or she only flew when the weather was reasonable and the sun warm on ones back. If an ignorant soul violated that basic canon, a search team would be sent into the hills or mountains to look for the remains.  Instrument flying in the clouds was for the airlines and even in that venue the results in winter were occasionally tragic. The four-course radio range, called the Adcock range, was still a mainstay for cross country navigation in most areas of North America. VOR ranges were being slowly installed in the USA, but the British were plotting to make the World-wide standard a convoluted system called Decca. This caused enough furor at the ICAO that the CAA (1950s remember?) was in no hurry to speed up installations. The tried-and-true NDB was the primary approach facility to the majority of the nation’s airports unless the city was large enough to warrant an ILS.

In 1956 the former Army Air Base at Walla Walla was a rather busy general aviation (GA) airport.  There were many pilots; yet I knew of only two that possessed an instrument rating. Neither of them was current, as the only method to maintain currency was in an airplane flying in the clouds. Currency was expensive and they weren’t going to fly IFR anyway as the majority of aircraft didn’t have the electronics, instruments or a method of combatting ice. A new airplane out from the factory with a heated pitot was a big deal, and the instrument six-pack was a few years down the road.

It was a cold, grey, overcast day, the ceiling about 400 feet with a light drizzle falling. It was a Saturday in early February.  I was working at the airport after school and weekends sweeping out one of the hangers that always seemed to fill with dust from the local wheat fields every time the large doors were opened. For the last hour, the only sound I heard was that of the broom scratching across the concrete.

There were only two airline flights into Walla Walla on a Saturday, and nothing was due for several hours. Yet, far off, I heard the sound of an approaching light aircraft engine turning at very high RPM. I walked out of the hanger to look toward the sound somewhere to the south. There, clinging to the bottoms of the clouds, low over the buildings was a Piper Tri-Pacer on a tight base turn to the end of the runway 20, its engine at full throttle. The pilot lined up with the runway and at the last minute cut the engine, the plane dropping the last 6 feet like a rock, tires slamming into the concrete, here and there shards of ice knocked loose by the abrupt landing fell from the airframe. The Tri-Pacer slowed, then taxied off the runway toward the FBO, pulling up to a stop where I stood. No sooner than the propeller stopped when the cockpit door slammed open, the pilot jumped out of the plane, running past me onto the wet grass lawn and then behind our little office shack that adjoined the hanger. There, he answered the call of nature, his back heaving with each breath he took.

Margret, our office manager, took dim view of what was now going on outside her office window. She stormed out the side door and yelled at the pilot. He turned toward her, his face pallid and body shaking, revealing the aftereffects of a terrifying experience. Uncharacteristically Margret took pity, ushering him into the office shack for some coffee and a cigarette.  The Tri-Pacer was covered with about 1/4 to 3/4” of clear and mixed ice on every leading edge. On the wings the ice went back a good 8” over the top and 3” on the bottom. The leading wing struts were not visible beneath the heavy mixed ice that completely enclosed them. I had never seen aircraft icing before and looked on in awe.  The large prop spinner was covered with thick clear ice. I was able to pull off a complete ice mold of the spinner and I took it into the office.

Upon seeing the ice in my hands, they paused their conversation for a moment and then the pilot lowered his head and spoke. “I flew 28 missions over Europe, I think I’m done with this. Done.” He paused, then spoke again. “Does West Coast [1] fly out of here to Boise?”

Before leaving our office, the pilot recounted how he was on a business trip from Boise to the Tri-Cities. The weather in Boise was just scattered clouds, but after he passed Nampa and closer to the Blue Mountains the clouds began to close up and the ceiling lowered with intermittent patches of dry snow falling. He could still see the ground and the mountain tops ahead, so he pressed on for La Grande. There he found that he no longer had a good view of the hill tops, as they were obscured by low clouds or wetter snow fall. La Grande, OR was below him yet he chose to climb up into the clouds to an altitude higher than the mountain tops and continue on to Pasco. If my memory serves, his airplane had an externally mounted venturi that drove the artificial horizon and directional gyro. His VHF radio was a “Narco Omnigator”, the ADF a Mitchell “Airboy”; both considered relics even 10 years later. Without a heated pitot he climbed into the clouds and into the freezing precipitation that was plainly in view ahead and around him. Somehow, he managed to keep it in the air over the pass across the Blue Mountains, but on the upslope side he started icing up so bad he could no longer keep the wings level or hold altitude. Luckily, just east of Pendleton he found a hole and dove down leveling below the thickest clouds around five hundred feet AGL,following a two-lane highway north and west. Yet, here and there light rain and drizzle was falling, and his airplane skin was very cold from flight in the higher altitudes causing the moisture to freeze to the airframe. If that wasn’t enough, in a few miles, the light rain and drizzle changed to consistently freezing rain and drizzle. Now he was icing at a faster rate with clear ice coating every exposed edge. Each time he attempted to turn toward the lower terrain and warmer air to the west, the clouds blocked his path. He continued to feel his way to the airport at Walla Walla. During the last 20 minutes of flight the Tri-Pacers engine was at full power; the plane often shuddering on the edge of a stall as he approached to land. 

He left the airplane there until late March when a salesman arrived to fly it to a new owner.

In 1956 here was a formula for catastrophe. A businessman on a mission. Military trained, but assuredly not current for IFR flight. Aircraft minimally equipped for IFR flight even in that day’s lax standard. The known weather forecast that day for icing and low ceilings from Stampede pass to La Grande. Even I, a green not yet soloed student pilot, knew that. Almost every moderate sized airport in the Northwest had a Flight Service Station or the Weather Bureau based on or close to the field and a rather good weather report with forecasts and graphic charts were very available along with full explanations. Yet, he went.

Now today ask yourself. What in 60+ years has changed? What has not?

Unless completely ignorant, every pilot has read the usual training materials about icing and how it affects an airplane. Maybe they have experienced a bit of trace that quickly wore off. The occurrence only becoming something to talk about over drinks, nothing more. The problem is that most GA pilots have yet to find out just how quickly and completely an airplane can be overwhelmed by icing. Airframe icing is insidious. You may notice a trace on the leading edge or around the windscreen, not really anything to be concerned about you think. You continue on, until in a blink of an eye you are packing it on to the point the deicing and anti-ice systems are close to being overwhelmed. 

Ice has been explained in many ways and NOAA has defined it into just four types. You know of them; Clear, rime, mixed and frost. Indeed, each type of ice (they say) is formed from specific types of clouds associated with a front or condition. Yet, the local geographical layout, air mass types, combined with a suitable feeder of moisture often produce the larger, more sustained, and subtle continuing dangerous changes. Once ice is attached to your airframe, it is difficult to remove. Let us consider some of these dangerous areas across North America.

The Cascades

This range of mountains start in Canada and continue south into Northern California. They are considered without parallel for creating some of the most intense icing conditions in North America. Cool, moisture laden air is quickly lifted up the mountain sides from six to fourteen thousand feet. The average wind at the 500 mb level (18,000’) is seldom less than 50 knots out of two hundred and twenty degrees (220°) from October to April. As low as 14,000’ the prevailing winds can obtain speeds greater than 120 knots with frontal passages. Concentrated Pacific Ocean moisture is quickly lifted and cooled, being thrust like a fast-flowing river tumbling over huge boulders that impede the flow. The turbulence in the moisture can harbor pockets of differing types or intensity levels of ice. The build rate is greater than what might be found over the Alleghanies, or even the foulest accretion over the Rocky Mountains. 

Icing conditions on the west side of the Cascades are commonly at altitudes from 4000’ up to 22,0000’. On the east side of the mountains the freezing level and possibility for icing is from the ground up. If you are in route from east to west and start picking up icing as far east as Moses Lake or the Tri-Cities expect moderate or greater (severe) levels of mixed rime past Ellensburg or Wenatchee and on the descent into the Seattle area.

The Cascade passes

In the winter the cold Canadian Polar and Plains air masses will sometimes settle in over eastern Washington and Oregon with the resultant temperatures to be much colder on the east side of the state. This polar high builds and creates a steep pressure gradient from east to west often producing very cold VFR conditions in central Washington. Because of the lower pressure on the westside the colder high-pressure air starts out-flowing down any available pathway to fill the lower pressure western Washington and Oregon.

For many years, the only way to fly from one side of Washington or Oregon to the opposite was via a few passes marked on an aeronautical chart. Flying at 500’ or 1000’ AGL, twisting and turning between the ridges to stay under the clouds, pilots crossed via Stampede or Stevens Pass or via the Columbia River Gorge. Many pilots, including myself did it safely. However, there were always issues with these routes. Just when you were about to clear the mountains there was a bend in the path and here you would find a wall of dense fog, rain, or severe icing conditions. Attempting to turn around in the narrow confines of the Gorge often resulted in disaster.

The Coastal Ranges

The Olympics, the Siskiyou’s and California Klamath are a coastal range of mountains that are the first to feel the western steering winds that come charging off of the Pacific Ocean. Here super moisture laden air is first lifted and cooled.  If it is raining at 4000’ and about 2°C on the approach to Astoria or Hoquiam expect up to moderate mixed ice lurking in the clouds above 5000’ MSL if you head east. Flight from the coastal airports into Eugene, Medford, Klamath Falls or Northern California can produce soul searching moments with fighting icing crossing over these ranges. The ice here has a greater moisture level and heavy mixed ice should be expected.

The Alleghanies

The writer Ernest K. Gann[2] wrote of one night battling ice in a DC-3 over the Alleghanies. A similar ice battle was previously described in one of his earlier books[3] of ice’s effects upon a lone mail plane and pilot as they challenged the weather Gods to complete their route.

Across that range to coastal New England flying on a winter’s night even into mid-May you’ll find thunder snow and aggressive rime greeting you as you descend from the flight levels. Indeed, a flight across the Allegany and Pocono mountains below 17,000’ can present clear, rime, and mixed ice with a touch of freezing drizzle in just a 250 miles segment. The northern part of the range is affected by Lake Effect Snow that can cause airport delays that mount into days. Ice accumulation can be slow and stealthy or sudden as super cooled water droplets slam into your plane, sounding like the impact of buckshot from a shotgun. Without fail it will build to the point of overwhelming GA aircraft if flight is sustained too long in the freezing air. The (ASI) recently produced an excellent video of two GA icing related crashes, occurring within two days of each other over this range of mountains. All pilots should view that video.

The Great Lakes Effect

Winters in the region of states and provinces that border the Great Lakes are known for sudden and severe ice and snowstorms. The lakes themselves do not “moderate” or warm the temperature as the Pacific Ocean or Puget Sound might affect the Seattle area. Instead, the Great Lakes add a base line of cold moisture to the colder Canadian and Polar air masses that sweep down across the Plains from the north. This then mixes with advancing fronts from the west and is often compounded when warmer Gulf air feeds in over lower Illinois, Iowa, Indiana and Ohio. Rime and mixed ice will form quickly during a crossing these fronts. If there are thunderstorms lining up expect clear ice, too. Heavy snow fall in the form of large flakes can obliterate forward visibility to zero in a heartbeat leaving one to depend upon their instrument flying skills. If you’re lucky the worst you’ll experience is being stuck for days when the airport can’t keep the runways open, i.e., Buffalo and Albany, NY.  In recent times, two Regional carriers, one flying an ATR, the other a Dash 8 crashed due to icing, and the weather continues to claim lives, especially in GA aircraft.

The Rockies

This massive backbone range of the American continent faces the prevailing westerlies that sweep off of the Pacific Ocean from Canada south to the warmer climes of Southern California and Mexico. Yet this range is actually the second or third range of mountains that have been kissed by ocean washed air. The leading edge of the air mass crossing the range will develop upslope conditions similar to that across the mountains closer to the Pacific, yet thankfully unless fed by a thunderstorm, the ice usually has less intensity as droplets have less moisture. High winds, turbulence, snow, and very limited visibility against a white background trying to identify a runway are common problems on approach. Our old nemesis Rime ice will show up at the lower altitudes or around the temp line of an inversion.

Today, we have more digital and visual weather products at our eyes and fingertips than at any time in aviation. From applications on mobile devices to digital weather reports through GPS in the cockpit, there is an abundance of information available to pilots. However, while parsing through the pages of information it can be easy to gloss over important weather forecasts that could give clue to icing hazards. We as pilots should maintain a better understanding of the unique regional weather patterns that can lead to aircraft icing, the associated hazards, and develop skills to actively manage the constantly changing situation we may find while flying in the winter months.

By Mike Oswald – CFI, CFII, MEI, ATP

[1] West Coast Airlines, an early PNW airline that later was merged into Hughes AirWest.

[2] “Fate is the Hunter”, E. K. Gann

[3] “Blaze of Noon”, E.K. Gann

Charts for instrument procedures include a lot of information, and IFR pilots learn to brief departures, arrivals, and approaches as part of the preparation for takeoff, descent, and landing.

Often, however, those briefings aren’t especially effective, because the pilot or crew just recites data on the chart and doesn’t actually prepare to fly the procedure. For example, a traditional approach briefing usually goes something like this:

“We’re flying the ILS runway 17 at Tacoma. The chart date is October 8, and this is amendment 8C. The inbound course is 167, and the runway is 5000 feet long…”

In other words, the pilot reads courses, altitudes, and other details off the chart. But reading a chart aloud doesn’t truly prepare you to fly a procedure. It’s like trying to sight-read a piece of music instead of practicing before a recital.

For example, a traditional briefing often doesn’t describe how you’ll navigate the segments of an approach. And too often, a traditional briefing is also rushed or juggled with other tasks, especially in an aircraft equipped with modern avionics.

Today, most IFR pilots fly with at least some electronic displays and GPS navigators, and we use electronic flight bags – tablets and apps – to plan our flights on the ground and to display charts and related information in the air.

Given the way we fly IFR today, it’s time to update the briefing process to reflect modern avionics and the tools we bring into the cockpit.

So how can you develop an efficient, effective IFR briefing so that both you and the airplane are in the groove and the runway appears ahead through the mist? Follow this to view a presentation by Â鶹ĘÓƵ instructor Bruce Williams, who will help you create effective briefings for IFR procedures that reflect how we fly in the 21^st century.

By Matthew Mulder – CFI

Are you a newer private pilot looking to expand your horizons? Or maybe you are more experienced but wanting to breakout from a flying rut. Sekiu and Ranger Creek offer relatively long, paved runways and manageable approaches. But they have terrain and additional considerations to make them challenging and help expand your piloting skillset.

We are blessed with some of the most spectacular and yet relatively accessible terrain in the world. As crowded as the Puget Sound skies have become in recent years, I am still amazed at how many wonderful airports remain relatively underutilized. In discussing with fellow pilots, I hear a variety of reasons but a common one is many pilots feel these more remote places are out of their comfort zone or they’ve heard tales of popped tires and bent props.

It’s understandable. As an instructor, I aim to instill a solid foundation of self-assessment and systematic decision-making in my students. They develop a set of personal minimums and avoid putting themselves or their passengers at unneeded risk. The corollary to this is that over time, many pilots can view places or conditions as automatic no-go’s and never expand their skillset. Soon enough we develop a habit pattern that limits us only to the larger or most familiar destinations.

Sekiu (11S) and Ranger Creek (21W) are two airports that are on many a Pacific Northwest pilot’s bucket list. If you are part of the Washington Pilots Association (WPA) Passport Program, the promise of a stamp in your pilot passport ups the ante. Thorough planning and research might help take some of the mystery away and provide enough background that you feel more comfortable giving them a try this flying season. And if not alone, grab an appropriate instructor familiar with either and go get your stamp!

Is there anything past Port Angeles? You bet! Fly past KCLM for about 20 minutes and you will come to Sekiu Airport serving the towns of Sekiu and Clallam Bay. This remote gem offers access to hiking, fishing, and breathtaking views of the Strait of Juan de Fuca.

Sekiu is 34nm West of Port Angeles, right on the coast. This area is notorious for maritime conditions (fog, low clouds) that can be completely different even from Port Angeles. You will need to exercise advanced planning skills in your preflight weather briefing as well as fuel calculations and alternate options. Referencing the Chart Supplement, you will find that approaches can be difficult when the wind is from the North. Other subtleties such as a sloping runway, terrain, local wind patterns make this a challenging airport to expand your skills.

If you have not been to any mountain airports yet, Ranger Creek is a great first. Tucked between the White River to the east and the valley slopes to the west, there is plenty of opportunity to get experience flying in and out of a mountain valley. With camping available, you can experience all that the Pacific Northwest offers. As with any mountain flying, you will need to complete a mountain flying checkout with a knowledgeable instructor. A great first step is to take AOPA’s Air Safety Institute Mountain Flying Course to review density altitude and other special considerations of mountain flying.

Your first flight experience into Ranger Creek with an instructor will exercise your performance calculation skills. The airport lies north of Crystal Mountain Ski Area as the valley floor begins to rise toward Mt. Rainier. The sight picture is pretty spectacular, as Rainier dominates your windscreen. You will quickly learn that proper, thorough planning is essential. Giving yourself options is truly the key.

While a regular flight to your favorite airport for your usual burger can provide the feeling of safety, it is imperative that we not let complacency set in. Exercising and expanding our planning and calculation skills is essential in making us safe pilots. Planning for known, additional risk is far safer than not planning for everyday inherent risk. 

ADS-B out capability is now required in most of the airspace around Puget Sound (see the FAA graphic below to understand where the mandate applies). Fortunately, the Â鶹ĘÓƵ fleet is equipped, or will be as soon the remaining aircraft return from avionics shops.

As the rules became effective, FAA published a new advisory circular, , to help clarify several operational matters, including:

4.1 General Operating Procedures

4.2 Operator Familiarity of the Installed ADS-B System

4.3 ADS-B Equipment Operations (U.S. Airspace)

4.4 Flight Plans (FP)

4.5 Preflight Requirements (U.S. Airspace)

Section 4.4 about filing flight plans, especially IFR flight plans in the required ICAO format, is particularly important. It points out key items that must be correct to keep the ATC computer happy. If, like most pilots today, you use an app such as ForeFlight, Garmin Pilot, or FlyQ for preflight briefings and to file flight plans, the process isn’t as daunting as FAA publications and the ICAO flight plan form can make it seem. Enter and save the particulars for each aircraft that you fly once, and you’re finished with the details.

 (You can also find more information about equipment codes for ICAO flight plans at my blog, .)

You must also be aware of the ADS-B requirements even if you typically operate outside the so-called rule airspace where ADS-B out is required.

For example, in our area Arlington (KAWO), Olympia (KOLM), and Shelton (KSHN) lie outside ADS-B airspace. But if you fly instrument approaches to those airports, you will enter rule airspace, even if only briefly while flying a transition or feeder route or missed approach. ATC cannot grant exemptions that allow you to fly those procedures even under VFR (except by prior arrangement via the FAA online tool).

The graphic below show the approach chart for the ILS RWY 17 at KOLM. Note that the final approach course begins inside the Mode C veil for the Seattle Class B airspace, where ADS-B out capability is required.

Become familiar the new ADS-B Mandate and the equipment installed on the aircraft you fly. Thorough pre-flight preparation will assist in compliance and improve situational awareness.