Flight Training - June 2013 - 35

standard instrument departure might not
directly affect you, but taxiway or runway
closures definitely could. Other items to
note: personnel and equipment adjacent
to runways and taxiways.
Now it’s time to organize your cockpit
so that you have what you need, when you
need it. Keep charts within reach, folded
to show the next segment of the trip; the
airport diagram and appropriate frequencies; and the paper and pen or pencil you’ll
use to copy ATC instructions. I carried
paper charts as well as an iPad displaying
the route for back-up navigation.

a bit of a safety margin. The tower won’t
want you dragging it in, and you might
have to use a faster airspeed on final.
Be sure to read back your clearance
to land and have the ground control frequency loaded and ready to be switched
over so that you can receive your taxi
instructions. Write them down. Ask for
progressive taxi instructions if you need
them. ATC is there to help you. And be
mindful of large aircraft moving about
on the ground, lest you be blown over by
taxiing too close to them—don’t laugh, it
can and has happened.

GETTING THAT CLEARANCE. No trip into
Class B airspace can be made without
the all-important clearance to enter from
approach control. Listen for the words
“Cleared to enter the Class Bravo” and
accept nothing less. As with anything
related to air traffic control, if you don’t
hear the words you need, ask.
Now your communications practice
comes into play. Listen for your call sign;
answer promptly. Maintain your assigned
heading and altitude—no meandering up or down 50 or 100 feet. ATC is
providing separation services, but you
are not relieved of your see-and-avoid
responsibility.
We found Philadelphia Approach
pleasant and professional, even though
we had to be diverted several miles
northeast of the airport. The FAA was
conducting flight checks on runways at
PHL, and Approach had to accommodate
arrivals of larger, faster aircraft.
After our handoff to the control tower,
we were cleared to land on Runway 35,
which is right by the general aviation FBO.
At Evans’ suggestion, we reviewed the
airport diagram and noted that we would
be making a right turn off the runway
after touchdown. It’s another way to keep
up situational awareness.

GETTING BACK OUT. I found this segment
of the trip to be the most daunting. It
required a call to Clearance Delivery to
get a departure clearance, which must be
read back in its entirety, including a transponder code and departure frequency.
Then, a call to ground control to obtain
rapid-fire taxi instructions.
For some reason, the assigned taxi route
to the runway looked completely unfamiliar, and (not for the first time) I was happy
to have Evans with me to help sort it out.
Once at the threshold, we waited for
the tower to release us. “You don’t tell
the tower you’re ready to go?” I asked
Evans later.
“No,” he said. “Believe me, they know
where you are. You’re a bit out of place
here.”
Cleared to depart, I made sure to rotate
short of the point where the preceding
regional jet’s wheels had lifted off the
runway. Again, wake turbulence should be
at the front of your mind.
Once back at Frederick, Evans wanted
to know if I’d had fun. And I had. Thanks
to lots of preparation and a helping
hand, the trip had provided plenty of
benefits with minimal stress, and had
borne out what Evans had said all along:
“If you can accommodate what the
controllers ask within the limits of your
aircraft, there should be no reason why
you shouldn’t come into the airport.” In
other words, you can go into a big airport
with a little airplane.

“CAUTION, WAKE TURBULENCE.” Big air-

ports mean big aircraft, which means wake
turbulence is a distinct possibility. Always
know where you are in relation to other
airplanes approaching the airport, and if a
jet is ahead of you, stay above its glidepath.
A higher and faster approach gives you

RESOURCES
Communications
Comm1 Radio Simulator: This
program prompts you to make
radio calls and lets you play
back your calls to hear your
technique—in the privacy of
your home (www.comm1.com).
LiveATC: Listen to how the
pros operate. Bonus: You can
probably monitor the approach,
tower, and clearance delivery
frequencies for the very airport
you hope to visit (www.liveatc.
net).
Say Again, Please: Bob Gardner’s tried-and-true manual for
radio communications, available
from ASA (www.asa2fly.com).
Say It Right: The Air Safety
Institute’s free interactive
online program is a favorite of
many thousands of pilots who
want to sound better on the
radio (www.airsafetyinstitute.
org/courses).
Situational awareness
Download or print free airport
diagrams from AOPA Airports
(www.aopa.org/airports).
Use the Air Safety Institute’s
Runway Safety Flash Cards
to review signs and markings
before your trip (www.aopa.
org/asf/publications/flashcards/
RWcards_lo.pdf).

Technical Editor Jill W. Tallman is a 700-hour
instrument-rated private pilot.
JUNE 2013 FLIGHT TRAINING

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http://www.comm1.com http://www.liveatc.net http://www.liveatc.net http://www.asa2fly.com http://www.airsafetyinstitute.org/courses http://www.airsafetyinstitute.org/courses http://www.aopa.org/airports http://www.aopa.org/asf/publications/flashcards/RWcards_lo.pdf http://www.aopa.org/asf/publications/flashcards/RWcards_lo.pdf http://www.aopa.org/asf/publications/flashcards/RWcards_lo.pdf
Flight Training - June 2013

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Flight Training - June 2013
