Ramping Up
Airports and Airspace Magazine Issue
By Rick Domingo, FAA Flight Standards Service Executive Director
Over the past 18 months, we have experienced all kinds of COVID-related events. The pandemic has given us plenty of opportunities to develop new habits and skills, and to exercise words like “unprecedented.” In far too many cases, though, it has deprived us of the ability to exercise other vocabularies and skills we once completed with ease. That list is long, but for purposes of this publication we will focus on the potential for lost proficiency in aviation activities.
If you are a regular reader of this magazine, you probably subscribe as well to some of the aviation community’s excellent publications. Across the board, there has been a lot of ink (real and electronic) invested in reminders on how to regain and maintain proficiency. The FAA Safety Briefing team has long contributed to these efforts. If you are looking for a one-stop-shop review of flying fundamentals, take a fresh look at the January/February 2018 “Back to Basics” issue, along with the “Challenge and Response” theme in this year’s January/February edition.
Competence and Confidence
Proficiency with flying skills is obviously important; after all, it’s the first item in the well-known Aviate-Navigate-Communicate trifecta. But the muscle memory involved in piloting an aircraft might sometimes be easier to restore than the mental muscles involved in navigating and communicating, both in the air and on the ground. That’s part of the rationale behind the FAA Safety Briefing’s March/April 2021 “Enhancing Surface Safety” theme. This current issue builds on that work with a review of subject matter related to airports, airspace, and air traffic control (ATC) — to include a look at the elements comprising these fundamental parts of our nation’s aviation infrastructure.
On the subject of airports, we’ll review some of the concepts you need to regain both competence and confidence to venture beyond the home ‘drome once again. Among other things, the team takes a look at some of the app-based resources that can contribute to safe operations around new or dimly remembered destinations. We also note the 75th anniversary of this country’s airport grant program, which helps support a crucial part of aviation infrastructure.
Venturing to different destinations involves navigating airspace in addition to the airports you visit. It’s important to remember that airspace configurations can change with each chart cycle, sometimes quite substantially. Don’t just assume you know the airspace you plan to traverse. Long before you head to the airport, sit down with a set of the most current charts and check carefully for any changes.
If you’re going places again via airplane, it’s likely that you’ll need to communicate with ATC. ATC phraseology might not have changed much in the past 18 months. As we have previously observed, though, “Aviation-ese” really is a unique language with a distinctive grammar and vocabulary. Anyone who has studied a foreign language can attest to the fact that fluency fades fast when you don’t use it on a regular basis. There’s no substitute for real practice, which can include engaging with any of the many ATC simulation tools. To help you get started though, we will review the fundamentals of working with ATC. We think you will also enjoy the retrospective on how today’s national airspace system, or NAS, evolved from its humble origins to the world-class service it offers today.
On a personal note: This will be my last Jumpseat column, because I am retiring after 27 years of federal service. It has been a privilege to “meet” you in these pages to share our passion for aviation, and for aviation safety. I wish you all the very best — blue skies and tailwinds!
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