Back in the saddle -- and a question

azure

Final Approach
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azure
So I went up with a local CFI today, first time in my airplane (or any plane, for that matter) since September 2015. It felt good, though a little unnerving. I did my first takeoff with zero flaps because I simply forgot to set them. And there are things about my panel that I've definitely forgotten - I have no idea how to enter a Direct-To flight plan from the database on the 480. When I hit the D-> button and then DB, I get a strange choice of #GAT vs USER to select from, and no way to change any of the characters in the name (I assume #GAT is a waypoint) to what I wanted. Must just be something I've forgotten, will have to look in Keith Thomassen's book. Other than that, practiced take offs and landings and steep turns. Next up: flight review, then some more VFR flying to re-familiarize myself with my panel, then some studying and an IPC.

The question: CFI and I talked about medical certification and BasicMed; I told him I'm flying under BasicMed now. He said he would like to do BasicMed but he can't because he needs a 2nd class medical. I asked him why, he said that he needs it because he flies for hire. Fair enough, except I don't think he does anything for hire in a plane anymore except instruct. He clearly said that he needs the 2nd class to do what he was doing at the time - instructing in a plane.

I know this is wrong, that all he has ever needed to instruct in a plane is a 3rd class. Moreover, I gather from some of the conversations here that he could do all of his instruction with BasicMed as long as he is qualified to act (and acting) as PIC at any time he is a required crewmember, e.g. while his trainee is under the hood. What I don't know is where to find authoritative documentation (on both of these points) that will convince him.

IIRC the point that you need only a 3rd class to instruct because the FAA considers you to be paid to teach, not to fly, is in a CC opinion somewhere rather than explicitly spelled out in a FAR. Can anyone point me to that opinion?

Also, is there anything that explicitly says that you can also instruct under BasicMed? I would have thought section 3.2 of AC 68-1 covers it, but the wording ("you can conduct any operation that you would otherwise be able to conduct using your pilot certificate and a 3rd class medical...") implies that you can be safety pilot as well, and we know that's not quite true - plus teaching requires a CFI rating as well, so it's not covered by the "pilot certificate" alone.

Any links or references would be appreciated.
 
I did my first takeoff with zero flaps because I simply forgot to set them.

I'm just going to put on my annoying CFI hat for a sec...

CHECKLIST! Use it!

Okay, back to your regularly scheduled BasicMed programming! ;)

Heh. Congrats on going up today, too!!! Swweeeeeeet!

You'll knock all that rust off in no time.
 
It is all spelled out in the FARs.

Instructing with a third class medical
61.23
(a) Operations requiring a medical certificate. Except as provided in paragraphs (b) and (c) of this section, a person—
3) Must hold at least a third-class medical certificate—
(ii)When exercising the privileges of a flight instructor certificate and acting as the pilot in command or as a required flightcrew member, except when operating under the conditions and limitations set forth in §61.113(i);

Instructing under BasicMed
61.23
(c) Operations requiring either a medical certificate or U.S. driver's license. (1) A person must hold and possess either a medical certificate issued under part 67 of this chapter or a U.S. driver's license when-
(vi) Exercising the privileges of a flight instructor certificate and acting as the pilot in command or as a required flight crewmember if the flight is conducted under the conditions and limitations set forth in §61.113(i)

61.113(i) is the FAR that authorizes BasicMed
 
P.S.--there's no "flight plan" for Direct To, just hit the big D and enter your destination. There, all done.
 
I'm just going to put on my annoying CFI hat for a sec...

CHECKLIST! Use it!
Uh-huh. I was. But as a "did I miss anything?" list, not in a step-by-step fashion. When I realized I'd forgotten the flaps, I started using it as a step-by-step.

I wanted to take the thing home last night and study it before flying, but I actually didn't find it until this morning. Plane just came out of annual (after skipping a year because it was just sitting in the hangar), and pretty much nothing in the plane is in its normal place. I had a heck of a time finding the gust lock, too.
Heh. Congrats on going up today, too!!! Swweeeeeeet!
Thanks! :)
 
It is all spelled out in the FARs.

Instructing with a third class medical
61.23
(a) Operations requiring a medical certificate. Except as provided in paragraphs (b) and (c) of this section, a person—
3) Must hold at least a third-class medical certificate—
(ii)When exercising the privileges of a flight instructor certificate and acting as the pilot in command or as a required flightcrew member, except when operating under the conditions and limitations set forth in §61.113(i);

Instructing under BasicMed
61.23
(c) Operations requiring either a medical certificate or U.S. driver's license. (1) A person must hold and possess either a medical certificate issued under part 67 of this chapter or a U.S. driver's license when-
(vi) Exercising the privileges of a flight instructor certificate and acting as the pilot in command or as a required flight crewmember if the flight is conducted under the conditions and limitations set forth in §61.113(i)

61.113(i) is the FAR that authorizes BasicMed
Ahh!! I need to download the latest copy of Part 61 then. I didn't realize they'd released a version containing all the BasicMed stuff, don't have it yet.
 
P.S.--there's no "flight plan" for Direct To, just hit the big D and enter your destination. There, all done.
I know, I was being glib. The point is, hitting D-> and then DB did NOT bring up what the manual says it is supposed to, a field containing the last waypoint which is editable. Instead, what I got was two fields, one said #GAT and the other said USER. I assume USER means user waypoints, but I have no idea what #GAT is and neither field was editable.

Both Thomassen's book and the GNS480 Pilot Guide discuss creating USER waypoints, but neither has a picture of the screen that I saw today. I have absolutely no idea what it is for.
 
The point is, hitting D-> and then DB did NOT bring up what the manual says it is supposed to, a field containing the last waypoint which is editable. Instead, what I got was two fields, one said #GAT and the other said USER. I assume USER means user waypoints, but I have no idea what #GAT is and neither field was editable.
Think I've figured this one out with the help of the simulator. The word on the upper right of the D-> DB page -- in this case USER -- identifies the type of waypoint, so #GAT is apparently a user waypoint. Apparently I had accidentally hit the user key and gotten on the user waypoint page. It's also possible to filter the waypoints displayed by type using the control knobs, and there was a LOT of light chop yesterday, so it's possible I budged the knobs and got on the page that way. Weird thing is, I never defined a user waypoint named #GAT, in fact I've never defined ANY user waypoints on the 480 (which is why I wasn't familiar with that page). Probably left by the previous owner. Wonder where it was, will have to check the lat/long coords next time I'm in the plane.

Anyway, live and learn...
 
You got me curious so I tried it.

Looks like #GAT is the default User defined waypoint. You get the same effect if the DB is missing or corrupted. Looking at the coordinates, I'm guessing that's "Garmin AT". It points to the airport in Salem, OR.

IMG_1115.JPG
 
P.S.--there's no "flight plan" for Direct To, just hit the big D and enter your destination. There, all done.

Sure Direct To is a flight plan. Several hundred nautical mile flight plans can be a single Direct To using GPS.
 
Congrats on getting back in the air. You might want to consider hooking up external power and doing some 'hangar flying' to get up to speed with your avionics.
 
You got me curious so I tried it.

Looks like #GAT is the default User defined waypoint. You get the same effect if the DB is missing or corrupted. Looking at the coordinates, I'm guessing that's "Garmin AT". It points to the airport in Salem, OR.

View attachment 53706
Yep, that's exactly what I was seeing. I guess that makes sense, "Garmin AT" as a default user-defined waypoint. I don't think my DB is corrupted, though I didn't try using the 480 a lot as the emphasis in the first flight was (a) doing a post-annual checkout flight and (b) starting to get back my stick-and-rudder skills. Most likely I just blundered onto the user waypoint page due to the chop and found, as you said, the default WP.

Going up again on Tuesday; will make sure my DB is intact when I do.

(Of course, the next cycle starts Thursday; I already have it ready to go and will have to check it out as well, especially since there was a JDM error the first time I tried to program the card.)
 
(Of course, the next cycle starts Thursday; I already have it ready to go and will have to check it out as well, especially since there was a JDM error the first time I tried to program the card.)

Interesting, for the past few months it has felt like it takes two hits to program the card too. The first one results in an error for me too.
 
Interesting, for the past few months it has felt like it takes two hits to program the card too. The first one results in an error for me too.
Well, I hope the problem is on their end... I assumed it was a media defect. That particular card had been sitting in the plane, exposed to the elements, for a year and a half. I figured its time might be up and I'll have to replace it. Would be nice to know it's not that.
 
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