Recent News from The FAASTeam

New Flight Review Alternative
Notice Number: NOTC4909

The WINGS – Pilot Proficiency Program is pleased to announce an alternative to the standard Flight Review required by 14 CFR part 61.56.

As you know, completion of a Flight Review (or an authorized alternative) is required for every pilot every 24 calendar months. One of the areas of concern regarding a Flight Review is that the complete content is not specified, thus leaving most of the Flight Review content up to individual instructors. This creates the unique situation where no two pilots cover the same material in a Flight Review.

This WINGS activity strives to standardize the Flight Review by including three knowledge activities and three flight activities, in addition to the other elements required by 14 CFR part 61.56. Please note that this Activity is an optional alternative to the Flight Review because it completes a phase of WINGS, thus meeting the requirements of 14 CFR part 61.56(e).

• Confirms completion of the required online courses within the previous 90 days,
• Completes the flight tasks as outlined,
• Reviews the current general operating and flight rules of 14 CFR part 91, and
• Reviews the pilot’s operating and planning habits, local area flying practices, and cross country planning techniques and best practices

Here is the rationale for the addition of this activity to the WINGS Program.

The FAA and instructors are quick to point out that the Flight Review is not a test. There is no pass or fail criteria, although the instructor giving it can decline to endorse your logbook that a flight review has been completed. The WINGS Program, on the other hand, does require the satisfactory demonstration to PTS standards of specified maneuvers to complete a phase of WINGS. These maneuvers are explicitly required because they address primary accident causal factors.

Therefore, because the instructor conducting a “standard” Flight Review is responsible for the content, and that there are no completion standards specified, simply completing a “standard” Flight Review alone does not qualify for credit in the WINGS Program. This new activity does meet all WINGS requirements.

We invite you to explore this new alternative to the standard Flight Review by going to FAASafety.gov and searching for Activity Number A130628-01, Flight Review, under the Activities tab.

NOTAM on NOTAMs
Notice Number: NOTC4908
When you check Notices to Airmen (NOTAMs) after August 22, 2013 you’ll notice some changes.  This will bring the U.S. NOTAM System closer to ICAO compliance and make them easier for airmen to read.

Here are some examples of the changes:

1) The big differences will be in the Field Condition (FICON) NOTAMs.

•       PILOT REPORTED:  During periods when field conditions are not being monitored, a FICON NOTAM may be originated for a pilot-reported condition.  The words “PILOT REPORTED” must precede the word “FICON.”When the FICON is “PILOT REPORTED,” the expiration time must not exceed 12 hours.
–      !FOE FOE RWY 13/31 PILOT REPORTED FICON 1/2IN WET SN OVER  ICE OBSERVED AT 1301040738.  1301040745-1301041115
•       Reportable Depth Measurements and Reportable Contaminants.  These are the ONLY contaminant possibilities.
Reportable Contaminants

–      !MOT MOT TWY C, C1, C6, D BTN RWY 13/31 AND TWY C FICON 1/2IN DRY SN OVER ICE OBSERVED AT 1312202200. 1312202203-1312210000EST

•       Observation time.  Every FICON NOTAM must have the time that the conditions were observed, in addition to the effective/expiration time.
–      !MIV MIV RWY 10/28 FICON 1/4IN DRY SN OVER ICE OBSERVED AT 1312201200. 1312201202-1312201600EST

•       CONDITIONS NOT MONITORED: When the field conditions will not be monitored, follow the most recent observation with the words “CONDITIONS NOT MONITORED (date/time) (date/time).”
–       !FOE FOE RWY 13/31 FICON WET ICE OBSERVED AT 1301040230 CONDITIONS NOT MONITORED 1301040300-1301041045. 1301040253-1301041115EST

•       Effective time/expiration time.  FICON NOTAMs are considered temporary, therefore an estimated expiration time for FICON NOTAMs must not exceed 24 hours from the effective time
2) Other changes include:

•       Units of Measurement format changes– for example – 
·         500 will change to 500FT
·         12500 will change to 12500LB
·         5 will change to 5NM

•       Affected altitude will be shown as Lower limit/upper limit.
·         1000/BLW will change to SFC – 1000FT
·         FL999/BLW will change to SFC – UNL
(Where SFC = surface and UNL = unlimited)

•       Effective/expiration time.  EVERY NOTAM will have an effective and expiration time.
–      If the NOTAM duration is uncertain, the approximate expiration time must be indicated by using a date-time group followed immediately by “EST” (estimate).  Any NOTAM which includes an “EST” must be canceled or replaced before the expiration time specified in the NOTAM, as the NOTAM will not auto-expire.
–      When a NOTAM is originated to advertise a permanent condition that will be published in a publication, chart or database, “PERM” should be inserted as the expiration date in lieu of a 10-digit date-time group.
–      If neither “EST” nor “PERM” is used, the NOTAM will auto-expire at the expiration date.

•       Changes to usable runway length and declared distances will be spelled out.
–      Adding the Declared Distances is new to the displaced threshold policy.  It will help the pilot know (without calculating) what the new distances are.
–      !MKC MKC RWY 19 THR DISPLACED 300FT NOT  STD MARKING.  DECLARED DISTANCES: TORA 6827 TODA 6827 ASDA 6827 LDA 6527. 130601150300–1307141600EST
–      !MKC MKC RWY 1 DECLARED DISTANCES: TORA 6827 TODA 6827 ASDA 6527 LDA 6527.  130601150300–1307141600EST

•       Ground Based Augmentation System (GBAS) and GBAS Landing System (GLS). GBAS augments the GPS to improve aircraft safety during airport approaches and landings.  GLS is the name assigned to the instrument approach procedure/capability provided by GBAS, available only at EWR and IAH at this time.
–      !IAH IAH NAV GBAS OUT OF SERVICE 1309211600-1309211900EST
–      !EWR EWR NAV GLS RWY 4R, RWY 4L, RWY 11, RWY 22R, RWY 22L OTS 1307182135-1307182200

•       Traffic/Flight Information Service Broadcast (TIS-B and FIS-B) is a new

–      TIS-B is intended to provide ADS-B-equipped aircraft with a more complete traffic picture in situations where not all nearby aircraft are equipped with ADS-B.
–      FIS-B is the ground-to-air broadcast of meteorological and aeronautical information. FIS-B allows the pilot to passively collect and display weather and other operational data.
–      !CXO ZHU SVC FLIGHT INFORMATION SERVICE BROADCAST REDUCED 1302011300-1302031500EST

Want to learn more?
“Basic pilot guidance on NOTAMs” http://www.faa.gov/air_traffic/publications/
“FAA Order that causes these changes to take effect” FAA Order, 7930.2, Notices to Airmen, http://www.faa.gov/regulations_policies/orders_notices/
Contact: lynette.m.jamison@faa.gov