Aero-Tips!

A good pilot is always learning -- how many times have you heard this old standard throughout your flying career? There is no truer statement in all of flying (well, with the possible exception of "there are no old, bold pilots.") It's part of what makes aviation so exciting for all of us... just when you think you've seen it all, along comes a scenario you've never imagined.

Aero-News has called upon the expertise of Thomas P. Turner, master CFI and all-around-good-guy, to bring our readers -- and us -- daily tips to improve our skills as aviators, and as representatives of the flying community. Some of them, you may have heard before... but for each of us, there will also be something we might never have considered before, or something that didn't "stick" the way it should have the first time we memorized it for the practical test.

It is our unabashed goal that "Aero-Tips" will help our readers become better, safer pilots -- as well as introducing our ground-bound readers to the concepts and principles that keep those strange aluminum-and-composite contraptions in the air... and allow them to soar magnificently through it.

Look for our daily Aero-Tips segments, coming each day to you through the Aero-News Network. Suggestions for future Aero-Tips are always welcome, as are additions or discussion of each day's tips. Remember... when it comes to being good pilots, we're all in this together.

Aero-Tips 01.22.06

“November 329PT, cleared for takeoff, expedite your departure, traffic is a Citation on a two-mile final….”  If you’re ready to go, taxi onto the runway, apply power and take off.  But what if you’re not?

The FAA’s Pilot/Controller Glossary tells us what ATC expects when they use the word “expedite”:

• EXPEDITE- Used by ATC when prompt compliance is required to avoid the development of an imminent situation. Expedite climb/descent normally indicates to a pilot that the approximate best rate of climb/descent should be used without requiring an exceptional change in aircraft handling characteristics. 

It’s perhaps more correct for controllers to say you’re “cleared for immediate departure.”  “Immediate,” in FAA-speak, means:

• IMMEDIATELY- Used by ATC or pilots when such action compliance is required to avoid an imminent situation.

“Expedite” or “immediate”, the imminent situation the controller is trying to avoid is, of course, is a collision on the runway.  The clearance may permit violations of minimum separation requirements.

Do I have to?

It’s up to you (as Pilot-in-Command) to accept or decline the clearance.  IF YOU’RE NOT COMPLETELY READY FOR TAKEOFF when given such a clearance, simply tell the tower “unable.”  Don’t fall into the trap of thinking “I can skip a couple items on the checklist” or “I’ll tune the GPS once I’m airborne”—you’re just asking for trouble if you do.  NOTE: Tell controllers your decision immediately.  Don’t dawdle; don’t move beyond the hold line or even loosen your hold on the brakes enough to roll forward, because both the tower and the crew in that Citation will expect you to taxi onto the runway if they see you begin to move.

Aero-tip of the day:  Expect the occasional “immediate” or “expedite” takeoff clearance at tower-controlled airports—and be ready to decline the clearance if you’re not completely ready to go.

FMI: Aero-Tips