FAA’s From the Flight Deck video series uses cockpit mounted cameras to capture runway and taxiway footage and combines them with diagrams and visual graphics to clearly identify hot spots and other safety-sensitive items. Learn more at https://www.faa.gov/go/FromTheFlightDeck
This video focuses on airport surface operations during winter weather. Failure to properly prepare for and execute appropriate cold weather airport operations has led to runway incursions, resulting in collisions with snow removal or maintenance operators, and serious runway excursion accidents.
Several risk factors are present during winter weather that are not normally found during the other seasons. Contaminated surfaces including runways, taxiways, and ramps can present a major hazard to aircraft. An iced over taxiway and a strong wind can easily move a general aviation aircraft in a direction other than the direction the pilot intended. Snow drifts can obscure signage and markings both on the surface and alongside the runway or taxiway, making it difficult for the pilot to know where to hold short or turn. Several systems and initiatives are in place to help pilots better understand the surface conditions at their airport, and how they may affect aircraft performance.
These videos are intended to assist pilots in navigating complex taxiway and runway configurations ahead of actual flight operations. Cockpit and wing mounted GoPro cameras were used to capture 4K resolution video and combined with airport diagrams and visual graphics to clearly identify hot spots and other safety-sensitive items that pilots may encounter.
It’s better to ‘know before you go’ — FAA’s From the Flight Deck video series is available exclusively on YouTube. Subscribe to this channel to watch actual approach and taxi footage from airports across the U.S., or visit https://www.faa.gov/go/FromTheFlightDeck for a map of featured locations.
Additional links and resources on this topic can be found at the video’s YouTube page.
