Something that took me off guard, is the process of going through checklists and looking at the aeronautical charts while flying. The charts, or maps, are published every six months to ensure that they are current. It would be unfortunate for a pilot to fly to an unknown area and look for a building that has since been destroyed. There are three types of maps, a TAC (terminal aeronautical chart) a SAC (sectional aeronautical chart) and a WAC (world aeronautical chart). The purpose of three is the amount of detail each has. The WAC is used for long travel and has a ratio of 1:1,000,000, or 1 inch to about 14 nautical miles. The SAC shows a bit more detail and covers a smaller area. The ratio for a SAC is 1:500,000 and 50 of them cover the US. Lastly, the TAC shows the most detail and covers the smallest area. The ratio of 1:250,000 allow the TAC to be used in the most heavily populated area. Unlike the WAC and SAC, not every part of the United States is covered by a TAC; only the most urban areas use a TAC. Examples are New York City, Los Angeles, Dallas Fort Worth, Memphis, Atlanta, and Miami. Aeronautical charts can be a lifeline for pilots. There are numerous invaluable pieces of information on the charts, which pilots can use to navigate to a safe place during an emergency. On the TAC and SAC charts, each airport is defined and has information about it, such as its’ frequencies, the type of fuel available at the airport, the length of the runways, where the airspace starts and ends, and even what type of lighting is used at the airport. It’s important, that pilots carry current charts with them while flying, and it’s even illegal if they do not.
Checklists were something that took me some time to get use to. Flying isn’t exactly what Tom cruise and Leslie Nielsen make it out to be. Pilots don’t simply get into their planes, light the fires, and takeoff. Depending on the aircraft, there are many things which need to be done and checked prior to even getting into the cockpit. For planes like the USAF’s F-22, there are over 300 individual points on the exterior of the plane which need to be checked before the pilot can hop in and start going over the start up procedure. For the plane I train in, the Piper Warrior, there is a walk around process of checking fuel quality, tire pressure, and removal of frost, among other things. Once in the plane, we go through the pre start checklist which is comprised of 20 items. When the plane’s ready for engine start, another checklist is used for that, which has 15 items on it. There is a checklist for almost everything done in an airplane. From taxiing, to the takeoff roll, the pilot goes through checklists to ensure safety. While in the air, pilots go through checklists when they want to climb, descend, change course, and perform maneuvers. The expression “kick the tires and light the fires” comes from aviation. It means a pilot does a poor pre takeoff check of the airplane by simply kicking the tires to make sure they’re ok, then lighting the fires, or engine, in order to start flying quickly. The main problem I had with the checklists is that I just forgot to do them. I was so concentrated on climbing away from the airport at the right speed and angle, that I forgot the 1000 foot checklist, also called the climb checklist.
Checklists were something that took me some time to get use to. Flying isn’t exactly what Tom cruise and Leslie Nielsen make it out to be. Pilots don’t simply get into their planes, light the fires, and takeoff. Depending on the aircraft, there are many things which need to be done and checked prior to even getting into the cockpit. For planes like the USAF’s F-22, there are over 300 individual points on the exterior of the plane which need to be checked before the pilot can hop in and start going over the start up procedure. For the plane I train in, the Piper Warrior, there is a walk around process of checking fuel quality, tire pressure, and removal of frost, among other things. Once in the plane, we go through the pre start checklist which is comprised of 20 items. When the plane’s ready for engine start, another checklist is used for that, which has 15 items on it. There is a checklist for almost everything done in an airplane. From taxiing, to the takeoff roll, the pilot goes through checklists to ensure safety. While in the air, pilots go through checklists when they want to climb, descend, change course, and perform maneuvers. The expression “kick the tires and light the fires” comes from aviation. It means a pilot does a poor pre takeoff check of the airplane by simply kicking the tires to make sure they’re ok, then lighting the fires, or engine, in order to start flying quickly. The main problem I had with the checklists is that I just forgot to do them. I was so concentrated on climbing away from the airport at the right speed and angle, that I forgot the 1000 foot checklist, also called the climb checklist.
