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The Slaughter
Jan 28, 2002

cat scratch fever
I'd say it depends on the airport and local customs. When you have several airplanes doing the instrument approach, a positive relative to a fix can be good. There's an entire 3 page document of procedures for the "stack" at KCGZ (that place is a deathtrap but unfortunately I'm there all the time), but yeah. I mean, I keep hearing VFR checkpoints described that aren't on the sectional or any of the local handouts (arizona has basically a dedicated website), and when I inquire "traffic at *obscure local reference* can you tell me where *some obscure local reference is", I get met with silence.
Anyway today was a 13 hour day, why I am still reading about aviation god somebody help this sickness I have.

Regarding expressjet, I don't have the mins.. YET. I know a lot of people there though already, but a random internet stranger can't hurt!

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Animal
Apr 8, 2003

We're goons and I've read all you've endured (your bitching). Beats my Delta recmmends, which is guys who've sat on my jumpseat

Stupid Post Maker
Jan 8, 2008
I just finished a lesson plan on airport markings, signs, and lights for my CFI and was wondering if anyone has been to an airport that utilized runway status lights. Also, does anyone know of any in Illinois or the midwest in general?

AWSEFT
Apr 28, 2006

Stupid Post Maker posted:

I just finished a lesson plan on airport markings, signs, and lights for my CFI and was wondering if anyone has been to an airport that utilized runway status lights. Also, does anyone know of any in Illinois or the midwest in general?

Detroit has the lights installed but they don't use them. In fact, I don't think I've ever seen them used.

Captain Apollo
Jun 24, 2003

King of the Pilots, CFI
Okay I'm going to give this a shot.

Dear Pilot Brethren which airline should I take on my way to Western Europe this summer?

Looking at flying out of DFW to Brusells for around 1300 per ticket this June.
Brussells seems to be cheaper than frankfurt or any other place I've been looking, and it doesn't have a bad reputation like Heathrow or Paris.



I guess the other part of my question is, should I be trying to get a cheap ticket to somewhere in the states to fly out of? Maybe like Houston or Chicago?

The Slaughter
Jan 28, 2002

cat scratch fever
Don't ride a domestic carrier, ride somebody international.

Edit: KLM, short layover in AMS, then KLM the rest of the way

The Slaughter fucked around with this message at 02:19 on Apr 4, 2013

azflyboy
Nov 9, 2005
The Slaughter, have you heard anything about CAE leaving Goodyear?

My boss was at a meeting about the tower at RYN shutting down, and someone there mentioned that CAE was going to leave GYR due to their operations requiring a towered airport for their base. Aside from maybe going to Gateway, I can't see where else they could possibly relocate in the area, and it seems like a heck of a lot of effort for something that's probably temporary, but it sounds just crazy enough to have an element of truth to it.

The Slaughter
Jan 28, 2002

cat scratch fever
It is true, they mentioned during the interview that Goodyear is being slowly phased out, although that was decided before sequester even hit as far as I know. They're just moving all their ops to Falcon Field is what they said.

They have some really nice diamonds at KFFZ, I flew one during my interview there, but I decided a 12 month training contract for 8k was a bad bad thing to sign. CAE called me yesterday and I need to call back and I don't know the diplomatic way to not burn the bridge in case something happens with current employer, but also tell them that nobody signs a training contract for a CFI job. To me training contract = type rating or something special that actually can advance your career and you're getting something valuable. An "authorization to teach JAA students" is... not worth anything.

The Slaughter fucked around with this message at 08:50 on Apr 4, 2013

gigButt
Oct 22, 2008

AWSEFT posted:

That simply requires an update to your info. Anyone I hadn't seen in a while was moved down (since I didn't have profile links for them). Update me with your creds and I'll move you up.

PPL IR KBKL 205hrs Total Time

gigButt
Oct 22, 2008

Dalrain posted:

I'm closest to KBJJ, but 3G3 and Skypark aren't far off, usually up for adventure. Might be fun to meet a goon regardless. Maybe pie at Carrolton or the Tin Goose in Port Clinton? You can PM me or email <username>@<username>.net

Emailed you! I did my Private and Instrument Ratings at 15G (SkyPark).

MrYenko
Jun 18, 2012

#2 isn't ALWAYS bad...

To celebrate the new thread, I give you something I found lurking in my photos of DC-10 days of old. This was our official (FAA approved) procedure for dealing with a fire stemming from the STCed Electronic Flight Bags we installed in our DC-10s just before the company went tits-up. The "heat resistant glove" mentioned in step four was essentially a commercial kitchen oven mitt (only one of them, not a full pair; we had a whole six airplanes to outfit here, and have to cut costs SOMEWHERE,) but pay particular attention to step number five...

funeral home DJ
Apr 21, 2003


Pillbug
I have two training flights under my belt at this point, and I realize there's something wrong with me: I love the lovely, late 80's C172 that shoots Avgas all over your hand whilst priming, that has a DG that becomes useless 30 seconds after a turn, and has a radio that sounds like Rice Krispies covered in carbonated milk. It's such a heap of crap and yet I enjoy flying in it more than the slick, slaved-DG and modern C172s they have around. I have no idea why.

In a question for ATC guys, the airport I'm training out of (Class D) does not have a clearance frequency, so we basically just use ground and tower for communications. When is it considered most appropriate to give the direction of travel for departure? I believe from my (limited) training so far you'd usually give the clearance people your direction of travel, and they would relay that on to ground/tower/departure. Should I tack on "Southbound departure" or whatnot on the end of my request for takeoff? Or should I just tell them I'm ready to take off and wait to see if they want to know my direction of departure? I'm not sure if it helps or if they even give a poo poo.

ATC is pretty awesome at our local airport - I know in class D that VFR aircraft are wholly responsible for traffic avoidance (the whole "no sequencing" thing), but our guys have their heads on a swivel and will call out anything that gets near you (i.e. the air ambulance service that's based out of our field). They also have a shitload of patience for idiots like me still learning how the radio works. Good people.

Animal
Apr 8, 2003

Each airport has its own culture, but its alright if you just tell ground when you contact them for taxi. Say your ATIS code (or "with weather" if AWOS) and departure direction.

"Winterfell ground, Cessna N6028Y at the south ramp, ready to taxi, flying southwest-bound with information Lima"

funeral home DJ
Apr 21, 2003


Pillbug

Animal posted:

Each airport has its own culture, but its alright if you just tell ground when you contact them for taxi. Say your ATIS code (or "with weather" if AWOS) and departure direction.

"Winterfell ground, Cessna N6028Y at the south ramp, ready to taxi, flying southwest-bound with information Lima"

Okay, this makes a bit more sense then. I wasn't sure if you were supposed to tell ground direction information as they would just send you to the open runway regardless. However, if they're passing the news along to the tower it probably makes sense from a scheduling point of view that they put the right people in the right order.

The Ferret King
Nov 23, 2003

cluck cluck
It has less to do with your assigned runway, and more to do with letting the tower controller know which way you plan on turning after departure. Tell ground which way you'll be going. It'll get passed along.

Who you're calling, who you are, where you are, what you want.

Departure direction is part of what you want.

The Ferret King fucked around with this message at 05:58 on Apr 5, 2013

Blackdawgg
May 8, 2004

AWSEFT posted:

Version 8 - A continuous thread since 2006!

Words

Sure I'll take an update I now possess a commercial single and multi ticket.

I'm planning on giving the aviation industry a break. After working for a company flying 172s that were worth less than my shirt around the country and not building much time while doing so. I don't meet ATP mins so any employment in non-deathtraps isn't likely. My backup of doing ATC also looks be falling through.

I'm going try to find a job that doesn't involve me waking up first thing, checking foreflight and groaning. Hopefully I'll save some money up to get my CFI and instruct on the side.

ausgezeichnet
Sep 18, 2005

In my country this is definitely not offensive!
Nap Ghost

MrYenko posted:

To celebrate the new thread, I give you something I found lurking in my photos of DC-10 days of old. This was our official (FAA approved) procedure for dealing with a fire stemming from the STCed Electronic Flight Bags we installed in our DC-10s just before the company went tits-up. The "heat resistant glove" mentioned in step four was essentially a commercial kitchen oven mitt (only one of them, not a full pair; we had a whole six airplanes to outfit here, and have to cut costs SOMEWHERE,) but pay particular attention to step number five...


Hilarious, since the old-aircraft component with the highest rate of starting fires is the lav flush motor (followed by recirc fans). Might as well keep all the burny stuff in one place. I never had a battery issue with any of the old Fujitsu's but I never really trusted them, either. This sounds like a good responsibility for the FE - he can get everyone another cup of coffee on the way back.

I can't believe that Gemini wouldn't get you a second glove. Even a TSO'd Crate and Barrel oven mitt couldn't cost more than 50 bucks.

The Ferret King posted:

It has less to do with your assigned runway, and more to do with letting the tower controller know which way you plan on turning after departure. Tell ground which way you'll be going. It'll get passed along.

Who you're calling, who you are, where you are, what you want.

Departure direction is part of what you want.

Perfectly delivered. This is what I used to hammer into my students' heads. There are way too many primary students that have no idea what comprises an efficient "first call".

fknlo
Jul 6, 2009


Fun Shoe
Just got an email saying tower closures are being pushed back until June 15.

xaarman
Mar 12, 2003

IRONKNUCKLE PERMABANNED! READ HERE

The Ferret King posted:

It's a goon flight sim channel. #flightsim on synirc. We have a pretty good mix of sim enthusiasts, pilots, CFIs, a controller or two, and a ton of IT dorks. I was around for the last time we tried to get an aviation/pilot channel started and I was the only one in it for a month before I gave up.

Also, they ban for talking about non pilot related anything. Jerks.

Captain Apollo
Jun 24, 2003

King of the Pilots, CFI
Anybody recommend a flight school in Philadelphia? I'm going to be up there for 5 days for a work conference. Wanted to get a local flight in.

funeral home DJ
Apr 21, 2003


Pillbug

ausgezeichnet posted:

Perfectly delivered. This is what I used to hammer into my students' heads. There are way too many primary students that have no idea what comprises an efficient "first call".

Chalk me up as one of them, then. It still astounds me that the 141 school I'm attending doesn't go in-depth on communications or weather as part of the PPL curriculum, it's more along the lines of "Talking to people on the radio is important, thunderstorms are bad. Read your book for further details." The school offers a class on ATC during the weekdays (which fucks over people who have to work like me) but after talking to quite a few students that took it, they said it's more about the theory of how the ATC system works, and less about radio communications.

I'm starting to get the hang of the radio now, still trying to memorize the order of ATIS broadcasts and the accepted phraseology and what ATC needs to hear you say versus simply acknowledging the call (hold short being the biggest one). My instructor basically told me to read over the AIM information on it and listen to some LiveATC.net or whatnot to get used to the pace and accepted phrases. Still though, it shocks me that with all the good voice recognition software out there that we don't have training programs available on computers (outside of the Parrot software package available from Redbird Flight Simulators, but you can probably buy a goddamned used plane for the same price those guys want their simulators). If I knew anything beyond BASIC I'd probably be building a solution and selling it to the flight schools around the nation.

The Slaughter
Jan 28, 2002

cat scratch fever
http://www.comm1.com/home.html Not sure how good it is, but this does exist

CraZy GrinGo
Jul 29, 2003
Veteran³
Anyone here fly gliders? I visited a glider club near my airport and talked to the guys and now I'm thinking about joining. Since you only need a couple flights to meet checkride requirements (and each flight is only $10) I've decided that this is a good way to spend my weekends flying. I learned a lot talking to them as well. Never realized that they go all the way up to just below class A, and that they can travel hundreds of miles in a single flight.

helno
Jun 19, 2003

hmm now were did I leave that plane
I started in gliders. It is tons of fun.

Only works out well if you have a club close by as it is really important to have an active membership to do the ground handling.

AWSEFT
Apr 28, 2006

OP Updated

Ripoff posted:

I have two training flights under my belt at this point, and I realize there's something wrong with me: I love the lovely, late 80's C172 that shoots Avgas all over your hand whilst priming, that has a DG that becomes useless 30 seconds after a turn, and has a radio that sounds like Rice Krispies covered in carbonated milk. It's such a heap of crap and yet I enjoy flying in it more than the slick, slaved-DG and modern C172s they have around. I have no idea why.

Nothing wrong with that. The last pilot I flew with owns a Cessna 150. The VOR hardly ever works and he loves it. At work he flies a modern(ish) jet, at home, he just wants to cruise around VFR in his old rear end plane.

Edit: Maybe look at some old pre-IFR instrument airplanes to fly.

Entone
Aug 14, 2004

Take that slow people!

CraZy GrinGo posted:

Anyone here fly gliders? I visited a glider club near my airport and talked to the guys and now I'm thinking about joining. Since you only need a couple flights to meet checkride requirements (and each flight is only $10) I've decided that this is a good way to spend my weekends flying. I learned a lot talking to them as well. Never realized that they go all the way up to just below class A, and that they can travel hundreds of miles in a single flight.

Where did you find a glider school operating at that low of a cost? I stopped by a glider-port Tehachapi, and It would of cost around $3000 to get the category added to my license. As far as I know, the check ride requirements are 10 landings with an instructor. It's around $100 per tow, $30-$60/hr for the glider, and $50/hr for the instructor.

CraZy GrinGo
Jul 29, 2003
Veteran³

Entone posted:

Where did you find a glider school operating at that low of a cost? I stopped by a glider-port Tehachapi, and It would of cost around $3000 to get the category added to my license. As far as I know, the check ride requirements are 10 landings with an instructor. It's around $100 per tow, $30-$60/hr for the glider, and $50/hr for the instructor.

The club I'm looking at is just east of Prescott airport in Arizona. They have a $300 fee to join, plus $25 a month membership cost. Every flight is $10 whether you're going up with an instructor or solo. A bunch of the guys are CFIs and they don't charge anything for their time. DPE charges $350 for the checkride once you're ready. They all seem like nice people, and everyone helps out when they can to keep things running.

Dalrain
Nov 13, 2008

Experience joy,
Experience waffle,
Today.
Gliders can get crazy cheap. I've heard good things about the club in Marion, which has rates on their website here: http://www.marionairport.com/COSA/

Tommy 2.0
Apr 26, 2008

My fabulous CoX shall live forever!

fknlo posted:

Just got an email saying tower closures are being pushed back until June 15.

Yeah this is what I am hearing at my center also. Not surprised, it's probably lawsuits affecting this and maybe they found some money to boot. I've got a buddy working at Goodyear in Arizona who is relieved about this.

MrYenko posted:

If they say the sky is purple, that motherfucker is not just going to be purple, it is going to be the most magnificent shade of Royal Purple the world has ever loving known.

ZMA/Mijami. Me and one girl going to Minneapolis are the only ones in my initial class going home, everyone else is a transplant.

That's funny, in my Enroute OKC experience the class saying was "The sky is green, the grass is blue." A lot of us were priors so dealing with the academy land bullshit was pretty tedious.


THE Jackson altimeter 2992.

Crap like that. Ugh.

Who are your instructors? I'd be surprised if any I knew are still out there. Although, Pedro is a legend.

Tommy 2.0 fucked around with this message at 19:25 on Apr 8, 2013

MrChips
Jun 10, 2005

FLIGHT SAFETY TIP: Fatties out first

CraZy GrinGo posted:

The club I'm looking at is just east of Prescott airport in Arizona. They have a $300 fee to join, plus $25 a month membership cost. Every flight is $10 whether you're going up with an instructor or solo. A bunch of the guys are CFIs and they don't charge anything for their time. DPE charges $350 for the checkride once you're ready. They all seem like nice people, and everyone helps out when they can to keep things running.

Gliding is a bit different in this respect. Not sure how it works in the US but here in Canada, there is only one glider license; as in, there's no private, commercial, instructor rating, etc. As such, it's the clubs who dictate what your experience level should be before they let you fly from the back seat. At the club I joined last year, I've got enough experience that they might ask me to start instructing this season; like your club, they don't charge students for anything but their solo or final flight tests, and in that case it's only a bit more than the Transport Canada fee for the final flight test.

I've said it once before, but I'll say it again...all you guys should go out to your local club and go for a flight.

fknlo
Jul 6, 2009


Fun Shoe

Tommy 2.0 posted:


THE Jackson altimeter 2992.


They loving hounded the instructors to get us to say it like this, and then on one of the evals the FAA graders got on us for saying it like this. That place was so dumb.

kmcormick9
Feb 2, 2004
Magenta Alert
I wrote "the" on my altimeter strip in red at the beginning of every problem.


To the people nervous about radio calls- as a pilot turned controller, I think it should be part of everyone's training to tour an ATC facility to see how it works and take some of the mystery and intimidation out of it. Hell, I used to think I had to spell the fixes for the controllers. I bet I was real popular.

The Slaughter
Jan 28, 2002

cat scratch fever
Well, sometimes you do have to spell the fixes for the controllers. Especially if it's far away.

Animal
Apr 8, 2003

Yesterday I was flying SAV to DTW, and after checking in to JAX I wasked if my friend Paul was working today. The controller said that he was on maternity leave, so I said to say hi from Manny. My captain look at me in awe, she could not believe I struck a casual chat with ATC, and thought it was the coolest thing she had ever heard.

KodiakRS
Jul 11, 2012

:stonk:

Tommy 2.0 posted:

THE Jackson altimeter 2992.

This is why I could never work in ATC. My radio calls are so nonstandard that there are times when I sound like I'm talking with my buddies at the bar.

Desi
Jul 5, 2007
This.
Changes.
EVERYTHING.

KodiakRS posted:

This is why I could never work in ATC. My radio calls are so nonstandard that there are times when I sound like I'm talking with my buddies at the bar.

You and I both. I did a tour of our tower once and learned the procedures they use. Turns out, when the guy on Ground wants to cross traffic across smaller GA-only runway 22, he'll turn to the Tower guy and ask "prostitute?" so as not to avoid confusion with the similar sounding but much bigger 32. I may or may not have begun to read back "prostitute" with my taxi clearance after that...

MrYenko
Jun 18, 2012

#2 isn't ALWAYS bad...

Tommy 2.0 posted:

Who are your instructors? I'd be surprised if any I knew are still out there. Although, Pedro is a legend.

Pedro is still here, teaching a class of the opposite shift from us. He taught one lesson for us, last week, when one of our instructors banged in. Our lead is Roger Halswell (I think thats his last name,) but we've had almost literally every classroom instructor in and out of our class at some point of another. I enjoyed Cal Mann and Dave Skidmore probably the most.

Just finished the map test. Rote memorization FTW.

fordan
Mar 9, 2009

Clue: Zero

Captain Apollo posted:

Anybody recommend a flight school in Philadelphia? I'm going to be up there for 5 days for a work conference. Wanted to get a local flight in.

If you don't have a car it'll be challenging getting to a GA field.

Main GA reliever and probably closest to center city is Northeast Philadelphia KPNE. "Big" GA airport with tower and private jets in and out. Other area options are Wings Field KLOM (birthplace of the AOPA), Flying W N14 or Cross Keys Airport 17N. There are lots of other airports, but not all of them have active flight schools or I don't hear much out of.

I fly out of Flying W and love the airport (have to love any airport with an airplane-shaped pool), but the commercial flight school there closed leaving only the club I belong to behind. Pretty sure the club would be fine if you wanted to pay to grab an instructor and go up, but not sure what the process is for non members.

Cross Keys does have a commercial flight school but also shares the field with a pretty active skydiving operation.

Captain Apollo
Jun 24, 2003

King of the Pilots, CFI
Thanks Fordan.

I actually flew with Advanced Wings out of KLOM last night. Got my first hour in a SR20.

The instructor didn't seem to remember that I was a pilot and took the controls from me when entering the pattern midfield to show me an 'overhead approach.'

Really lovely thing to do, wasn't impressed. Especially when he side loaded the gear and touched down 3/4's of the way down the runway.

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MrYenko
Jun 18, 2012

#2 isn't ALWAYS bad...

My dad learned to fly at Cross Keys, and I've flown out of there a few times. Nice little airport. I don't think Lewis Flying Service is still there though... :(

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