(Excerpted from FAAST Blast — FAA Safety Briefing Live, Aircraft Performance and Calculations, No Surprises – Keeping Control of Avionics and Automation)
Accident investigations have discovered causal factors resulting from unreasonable expectations of aircraft performance — especially when operating at the edges of the aircraft weight and balance envelope.
That’s why the General Aviation Joint Steering Committee’s Loss of Control Work Group suggests improvement in pilots’ understanding and calculation of aircraft performance. Check out #FlySafe fact sheet on Aircraft Performance and Calculations at http://bit.ly/VxVy. To see the most current versions of all our #FlySafe fact sheets, arranged by topic, go to http://bit.ly/GAFactSheets.
Changes/Enhancements Coming to Airman Knowledge Testing
The FAA awarded a new airman knowledge testing contract called the Airman Certificate Testing Service (ACTS). The contract provides a comprehensive, best-practices approach to enhance the overall quality of FAA Airman Knowledge Testing. As a result, there are several enhancements soon going into effect. One of the most important changes is the requirement that applicants obtain an FAA Tracking Number (FTN) by creating an Integrated Airman Certification and Rating Application (IACRA) profile prior to registering for a knowledge test. IACRA is the web-based certification/rating application that guides the user through the FAA’s airman application process. The five-minute process enables the agency to rely on the name in the profile for all actions associated with that applicant.
To help educate those who take, or will take an FAA Knowledge Test on or after January 13, 2020, the FAA will host four webinars in support of the new testing system. Two webinars are scheduled for Thursday, Dec. 19, 2019 (1000 and 1500 EST) and two on Jan., 8, 2020 (1000 and 1500 EST). For more details, and to register for a webinar, go to: https://www.faa.gov/news/updates/?newsId=94845. To learn more about ACTS, go to https://www.faa.gov/training_testing/testing/acts/. For questions, contact the Airman Testing Branch at AirmanKnowledgeTesting@faa.gov.
TUG Traffic Advisory
For operations out of MMU and CDW, please avoid the TEB ILS runway 19 approach when flying northeast. Graphic courtesy Teterboro Users Group (Jim Dramis).
FAA Safety Briefing Magazine: Emergency!
The September/October 2019 issue of FAA Safety Briefing focuses on emergencies in aviation and how we react to them. Feature articles focus on the kind of events that can cause an emergency in flight and how we might prevent and react to them. These topics include: engine failures, the startle effect, smoke and fire, and balloons and power lines.
Runway Incursion Mitigation Program
Learn how the FAA is mitigating the risks of Runway Incursions at the nation’s airports.