Aviation Careers and Training Today!

September 3-The September/October 2010 issue of FAA Safety Briefing focuses on proficiency and its absolute importance for pilots and aviation maintenance technicians. In the issue, you will find tips on developing your personal improvement plan, suggestions about getting back to flying after an absence, recommendations on how AMTs can keep their edge, an article on the complicated subject of receiving compensation for your flying, and much more.

$15M in Recovery Act Funds will ensure safety upgrades at BWI Airport.

August 31 - Pilots authorized by air traffic controllers to taxi onto runways and await takeoff clearance will be instructed to "line up and wait" rather than "position and hold" beginning on September 30 under new terminology adopted by the Federal Aviation Administration. The new terminology, which was recommended by the National Transportation Safety Board, conforms to terminology used internationally under International Civil Aviation Organization guidelines.

A safety analysis conducted by the FAA's Air Traffic Organization Terminal Services determined that adopting the phrase "line up and wait" will eliminate confusion, particularly among pilots who also fly overseas, and further reduce the risk of runway incursions.

Beginning September 30, controllers will state the aircraft's call sign, state the departure runway and then instruct pilots to "line up and wait," i.e., "United 451, Runway 33L, line up and wait." The phrase, "traffic holding in position" will continue to be used to advise other aircraft that traffic has been authorized to line up and wait on an active runway.

The FAA will continue to emphasize that pilots are not permitted to cross any runway encountered while taxiing without explicit instructions from controllers.

$14.5M in Recovery Act funds ensure continued safety for flights at San Francisco Intl Airport.

Nigeria earns a Category 1 rating under the International Aviation Safety Assessment Program.

Aug. 19 - Datalink is an industry term used to describe a wide range of equipment and services that all do one basic thing - get data into the cockpit so pilots can use it to make decisions. This is especially the case with weather data, which can now be received, processed, and displayed in a myriad of panel-mounted displays and hand-held devices. Among the types of weather information available with these devices are NEXRAD radar, winds aloft, meteorological reports (METAR) and terminal aerodrome forecasts (TAF), freezing levels, and cloud coverage.

In the July/August 2010 FAA Safety Briefing article, "Do's and Don'ts for Datalink Weather," author Meredith Saini warns pilots of some of the pitfalls of today's high-tech devices. "Pilots must understand the limitations of any datalink weather product before using it to make strategic in-flight decisions," writes Saini.

In addition to processing delays, NEXRAD data from ground stations can be affected by interference from buildings or terrain. "No matter how many full-color displays you have working for you, it's still your responsibility to obtain a standard briefing before any flight."

For more information on how to cope with Mother Nature, go to www.faa.gov/news/safety_briefing/.