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Let'sgoflying!

Let'sgoflying!

Touchdown! Greaser!
Joined
Feb 23, 2005
Messages
20,326
Location
west Texas
Display Name
Display name:
Dave Taylor
Sometimes I think our zeal to inform exceeds any useful purpose. Or maybe someone here has come up with a way to summarize preflight items such as the quote below such that a person could actually use the info.

*****************************************
"NOTE: Rwy 13L, multiple poles and trees beginning 844'
from departure end of runway, 515' left of centerline, up
to 54' AGL/541' MSL. Crane 5270' from departure end
of runway, 568' left of centerline, 130' AGL/630' MSL.
Antenna on tank 1.5 NM from departure end of runway,
369' left of centerline, 208' AGL/712' MSL. Rwy 18,
building 303' from departure end of runway, 354' right of
centerline, 47' AGL/507' MSL. Tree 775' from departure
end of runway, 138' right of centerline, 32' AGL/513'
MSL. Tree 821' from departure end of runway, 329' right
of centerline, 39' AGL/519' MSL. Tree 1031' from
departure end of runway, 107' right of centerline, 49'
AGL/530' MSL. Tree 1254' from departure end of
runway, 399' left of centerline, 50' AGL/531' MSL. Tree
2004' from departure end of runway, 413' right of
centerline, 55' AGL/536' MSL. Rwy 31L, multiple trees
beginning 327' from departure end of runway, 374' right
of centerline, up to 22' AGL/501' MSL. Rwy 31R, multiple
trees beginning 366' from departure end of runway, 552'
right of centerline, up to 29' AGL/505' MSL. Pole 39'
from departure end of runwy, 501' left of centerline, 27'
AGL/487' MSL. Pole 1531' from departure end of
runway, 717' right of centerline, 61' AGL/521' MSL.
Trees 2080' from departure end of runway, 644' right of
centerline, 54' AGL/530' MSL. Rwy 36, tree 52' from
departure end of runway, 390' left of centerline, 43' AGL/
523' MSL. Obstructioin light on blast fence, 56' from
departure end of runway, 298' right of centerline, 7' AGL/
487' MSL. Trees 433' from departure end of runway,
357' right of centerline, 16' AGL/496' MSL. Trees 661'
from departure end of runway, 95' left of centerline, 25'
AGL/505' MSL. Building 898' from departure end of
runway, 223' right of centerline, 25' AGL/505' MSL.
Tree 1773' from departure end of runway, 240' right of
centerline, 79' AGL/559' MSL. Multiple transmission
line towers beginning 2577' from departure end of
runway, 116' left of centerline, up to 68' AGL/556' MSL.
Transmission line tower 2701' from departure end of
runway, 818' right of centerline, 68' AGL/572' MSL.
**************************************

OK, if you have that 3D info memorized, there will now be a test.
 
Let'sgoflying! said:
Sometimes I think our zeal to inform exceeds any useful purpose. Or maybe someone here has come up with a way to summarize preflight items such as the quote below such that a person could actually use the info.
Click to expand...
Sure. Give us the ID and we'll look it up in Google Maps.
 
Certainly gives new meaning to having ALL the information pertaining to a flight by the FAA's words.

I think it might be a little overboard.

David
 
I think it might be a little overboard.
Click to expand...

My guess is 99% of pilots will look at that and flip the page. "OK we're going to hit something if we don't climb, we knew that already."
 
Holy information overload, Batman. I'm starting to think you need two pilots more to analyze preflight data than you do to carry out the mission in the airplane.

Last summer I planned an IFR flight from Washington State to KMYF (in San Diego). I expected coastal stratus and a night ILS approach at KMYF, the only approach there for which my airplane was equipped. I printed out the DUATS briefing, undecoded -- all fifty pages of it :redface:, which included everything I needed to know about severe weather eleven states away and airspace reservations 200 miles offshore. On the 19th page was buried this one line:

!MYF 08/007 MYF 28R ILS LLZ/GP/DME OTS TIL 0709112300

I was lucky to catch it.
 
Last edited:
Pilawt said:
On the 19th page was buried this one line:MYF 28R ILS LLZ/GP/DME OTS
Click to expand...

Either they are going to have to pare it down to a volume that is consumable by the average pilot/crew or they are going to have to at least present it in a prioritized manner.

The way it is, the sheer volume of safety material is paradoxically causing a deterioration of safety!

Someone should do a study on what the average pilot consumes (briefing-wise) before a flight and see how many say, 'Forget all that nonsense, let's just go fly.' simply because there is SO MUCH. I find I am spending at least an hour before each trip and I know I don't get it all.

Might be a good mag article.... "What is the minimum you need to check before you leave for a variety of types of flights, and how can get it in a reasonable span of time."
 
Let'sgoflying! said:
Someone should do a study on what the average pilot consumes (briefing-wise) before a flight and see how many say, 'Forget all that nonsense, let's just go fly.' simply because there is SO MUCH. I find I am spending at least an hour before each trip and I know I don't get it all.

Might be a good mag article.... "What is the minimum you need to check before you leave for a variety of types of flights, and how can get it in a reasonable span of time."
Click to expand...

That would be really interesting. I bet the DC airspace-busters fit the profile you mention.

A story along these lines. The president visited an airport 28 nm from our little airport, and so his 30-nm TFR included our airport. It was a beautiful day. The manager and I, thinking about the types of people you mentioned, actually put a cardboard sign along our driveway mentioning the TFR being in affect that day. And the sad part is that for a couple pilots, that sign was the only last-minute thing that prevented them from flying (they didn't know about the TFR and had planned to fly). A lot of people unfortunately don't think about these kinds of things when they're planning to go up in the pattern. Or maybe they think about it but don't want to invest the time towards a briefing.

Now, as for mentioning every last tree around an airport... That was kind of funny!
 
Bah. That is why I don't bother with DUATS. I'm sure you can probably learn to use it so that you don't get 20 pages worth of crap with two lines that matter--but I just don't have the time.

I've found that for VFR cross country flight a quick 15 minute look online plus a phone call to FSS on the way to the airport is adequate for me.
 
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