Aviation Topic of the Week
By Michael
Oxner, February 8, 2004
This week's topic:
IFR Flight Example, Part 3: Taxiing for Departure
Last week our pilots received the IFR clearance, evaluated
and accepted it. Now it's time to get the airplane out onto the field and
take to the air. This will be a comparatively short topic. I'd like to
leave the actual departure to a separate topic. Again, this topic contains
some clips from outdated publications our example for review, so I have
to say the same thing again: Always use current, real-world publications
for real-world flight.
Review of Situation
Preparing to Taxi Out at Stephenville
Taxiing Out for Take-Off
Review of Situation
Just a quick review, so we all know what's important for this topic.
Weather:
METAR CYJT 251600Z 10005KT 15SM FEW016 BKN032 OVC050 M04/M07 A2980
RMK SC2SC5SC2 SLP095=
IFR Clearance:
CZQX: "Alpha Romeo Tango is cleared to the Halifax Airport via victor
three one nine Sydney, flight planned route. Maintain eight thousand, expect
one four thousand thirty miles southwest of Stephenville. Depart runway
zero nine, turn right heading two six zero to intercept victor three one
nine and proceed on course. Squawk two five four two. Clearance is canceled
if not airborne by one six two zero."
Current time:
1605z, giving 15 minutes to get airborne.
Preparing to Taxi Out at Stephenville
With a valid clearance in hand, the pilots have some pre-departure checklists
to run through, and the task of taxiing out at hand. Have a look at this
outdated CYJT airport diagram for reference:
The current position of the KingAir is marked on the diagram to give
you a reference point. The aircraft is parked on Apron I. Departure on
Runway 09 is desired, so we have to look at a taxi route. Could it be any
easier? Taxiway A leaves Apron I and ends right at the threshold of 09.
The path seems pretty simple.
CYJT is an uncontrolled aerodrome. How can that be with controlled airspace
reaching right to the ground as mentioned before? Simple. Yes, there is
controlled airspace, but it's Class E. This means that IFR flights are controlled,
but VFR are not. There are higher VFR weather limits in control zones, such
as that surrounding CYJT, to provide a better opportunity for an IFR aircraft
to see a VFR aircraft, but CYJT does not have the one item required to
make it a controlled airport: a control tower. If there were a TWR at CYJT,
several things would be different. For one, the list of agencies across
the top would include a Tower and Ground frequency instead of APRT RDO.
Most importantly, the rules of how aircraft movements are made would be
very different.
At a controlled airport, everybody wanting access to the Manoeuvring
Area of an airport needs clearance to do so. This was defined in a previous
topic about airport movements, but it really means that any movement desired
on a taxiway or runway needs permission. At an uncontrolled airport, aircraft
movements are not controlled by outside agencies, and so the Pilot In Command
(PIC) is the one responsible for his aircraft and his movements at the
airport. Our pilot bible, the AIP Canada has details on operating
at uncontrolled airports in section RAC 4.5. These practices include
tuning in the airport's Mandatory Frequency (MF), listed in the aerodrome
diagram at left, listening for other aircraft transmissions, and making
blind radio calls (or directed ones if traffic is known to be a conflict)
and moving about the airfield and surrounding areas accordingly.
Taxiing for Take-Off
With the aircraft readied for taxi and take-off, the MF tuned up, our
pilots initiate the radio calls. Again, after a brief listening watch to
ensure nobody gets "stepped on":
FART: "Stephenville Airport Radio, KingAir Foxtrot
Alpha Romeo Tango on Apron One, taxiing Alpha for departure on runway 09."
CYJT ARPT RDO: "KingAir Foxtrot Alpha Romeo Tango,
Stephenville Airport Radio. Winds one three zero at five, altimeter two niner
eight zero. There is a Cessna 172, Golf Lima Oscar Bravo, in the circuit
left hand for runway 09, just reported downwind for a touch and go."
FART: "Alpha Romeo Tango, roger, we'll call before
entering the runway."
Note the last transmission was made as a courtesy to let everyone
know what our pilot's intentions are. The fact is, the rules in an MF require
a radio call prior to entering a runway anyway.
Now that our pilots have established who else is operating around the airport
and that no current conflict exists, they take a good look around on the
apron before starting to move. It should be obvious, since it is elementary
that people should see where they're going before they start to move. The
search for other vehicles, personnel on the ground and other aircraft reveals
nothing of concern, so the throttles are opened just a little to start the
aircraft moving, and the journey to the runway begins.
Leaving the apron, a right turn is made to proceed in Alpha westbound
to head for the threshold. The pre-takeoff checklist is run through as both
pilots confirm items and one steers the plane down the taxiway. Approaching
the hold line, the take-off checklist is not quite completed. A new radio
transmission comes through:
GLOB: "Alpha Romeo Tango, I see you there on
the taxiway, I can extend a little to let you go if you want to."
With the checklist incomplete, knowing it will take another minute or
so before everything is done, the pilot responds:
FART: "Lima Oscar Bravo, negative. We're not
quite ready. You might as well continue and we'll wait for you."
GLOB: "Airport Radio, Lima Oscar Bravo turning
base now."
CYJT ARPT RDO: "Lima Oscar Bravo, Airport Radio,
roger."
The checklist is complete. Our pilots now brief the clearance and the
take-off plan. The take-off plan includes the departure procedure for the
aerodrome, as listed on the airport diagram above, the departure instructions
in the clearance, and the mechanics associated with the take-off itself.
With the weight and balance sheet done up, the appropriate speeds are determined
for the take-off roll (V1, Vr and V2). It is decided at this point that
the take-off will be conducted by the Captain and the First Officer will
monitor the progress on instruments and call out speeds. Both pilots do
a check of the approach area and the Cessna 172 in the circuit is seen on
final approach. No other traffic is sighted.
GLOB: "Airport Radio, Lima Oscar Bravo on final
runway 09, touch and go."
CYJT ARPT RDO: "Lima Oscar Bravo, Airport Radio,
winds one three zero at five."
A short time later, GLOB is past the threshold and proceeding down
the runway on his touch and go...
FART: "Airport Radio, Alpha Romeo Tango
is taxiing to position runway 09. We'll wait for Lima Oscar Bravo to start
the turn to the left before we roll."
CYJT ARPT RDO: "Alpha Romeo Tango, Airport Radio,
roger."
The KingAir taxis onto the runway and lines up as both pilots once again
scan the final approach area for other traffic, just in case someone without
a radio is in the area and can't make calls. Everything is clear. A check
of the windsock confirms the wind speed and direction, and a check of the
clock confirms that the IFR clearance is still valid as it is now 1610z.
Time to go...
Whoops! Look at that! It's time to break for the week. Again, an awful
lot of reading for something that would take so little time to accomplish.
I'm not trying to make this seem complicated, despite the amount of writing
I am doing for this. Each step along the way is important to ensuring a
successful and safe flight. Any feedback for our flight so far can be sent
to my e-mail address, moxner@nbnet.nb.ca.
Thanks for taking the time to read!