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Mike Whitaker, FAA deputy administrator, called the summit together in Washington, D.C., to discuss how the FAA and industry can work together to resolve barriers and address potential challenges to meeting the mandate to equip thousands of aircraft with automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast-out avionics in the next five years.

"We are not here to rewrite the rule; rather, we are here to discuss any barriers we have in meeting the mandate," Whitaker said in his opening remarks to begin the summit. "The mandate is not changing."

During the summit's morning work session, Paula Derks, Aircraft Electronics Association president, shared with the audience that the repair station industry is ready, willing and able to meet the ADS-B Out mandate, as the shops are trained and prepared for the New Year's Day 2020 deadline.

» More on AEA.net

The USGS, along with numerous state and federal partners, has launched the 3D Elevation Program (3DEP), an effort to chart all 50 states with airborne lasers (lidar) or radar (ifsar). The new technology permits astonishingly precise measurements of terrain, buildings and roads, waterways, coastline, even vegetation, right down to individual plants.

Alaska, it turns out, has never been mapped to modern standards. While the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is constantly refining its work in the lower 48 states, the terrain data in Alaska is more than 50 years old, much of it hand-sketched from black-and-white stereo photos shot from World War II reconnaissance craft and U-2 spy planes.  Errors abound. Locals tell of mountains as much as a mile out of place. Streams flow uphill, and ridges are missing because a cloud happened by when the photo was taken.

Mars is better mapped than the state of Alaska,” said Steve Colligan, president of E-Terra, an Anchorage mapping firm that specializes in aviation safety. 

» More from The Washington Post

courtesy MyGoFlight

Now that we have gone to using electronic charts, where do we find what the various chart symbols mean if we have forgotten what they stand for?  It used to be that we would turn the chart over and on the back we would find the symbols and the answer was right there.   

The answer to any and all chart symbology questions can be found in a single document from the FAA entitled Aeronautical Chart User's Guide. This guide provides an explanation of all VFR and IFR chart terms and symbols and can be found on the FAA website page of digital products.

» Aeronautical Chart User's Guide

» Download LOOP from iTunes

The Federal Aviation Administration will not relent from requiring operators in the U.S. to equip their aircraft for automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast (ADS-B) by 2020, the agency’s deputy administrator Michael Whitaker told an industry-government committee. The ADS-B equipage mandate is the next major milestone of the agency’s NextGen ATC modernization effort, he said.

“To keep that milestone on track, we need to keep that mandate,” Whitaker told the 13th plenary meeting of the NextGen Advisory Committee (NAC), held on October 8 in Washington, D.C.“It’s one of the key components of NextGen. We are communicating clearly and unequivocally that there is no intention of moving the mandate.”

» More via AINonline

courtesy AERO-NEWS

Most Federal Aviation Regulations make sense because they are aimed at aviation safety. Some of the safety related rules may seem arbitrary, but they are intended to establish minimum safety standards. Other rules may not be safety related are usually rules that require pilots to show compliance with the regulations.  When we use the term ramp check, we are not talking about the unfortunate cases of pilots being approached and questioned by military uniformed personnel from various government agencies. What we are reviewing is the simple case of an FAA operations inspectors walking up in civilian clothes, shaking your hand, and announcing that you’re about to receive a ramp check.

The purpose of the ramp check is to verify that the pilot and aircraft are in compliance with the certification regulations. In other words, your paperwork had better be in order. Pilots and aircraft must have certain paperwork to be legal to fly.  If you want the actual details of what the FAA inspector is authorized to do on a ramp check, it’s found in FAA Order 8900.1, Chapter 1, Section 4, titled Conduct a FAR Part 91 Ramp Inspection.

The pilot must have the following items in his or her possession and must present them upon request by an FAA or law enforcement official.

• FAA Pilot Certificate
• Government Issued Photo ID (i.e., state driver’s license)
• Proof of Medical Certification - for a sport pilot or sport pilot student, this could be an FAA medical certificate or a valid state driver’s license

A student pilot must have his or her logbook on cross country flights, and a sport pilot must have either his or her logbook with the appropriate sport pilot endorsements or a record of the endorsements.  Recreational pilots must also have proof of endorsement for extended cross-country flying and tower controlled airspace training if they had received those endorsements.

Private and higher-rated pilots are not required to carry logbooks with them, and that’s probably a pretty good idea.  However the FAA inspector may ask you to present some sort of proof of appropriate endorsements, such as a flight review, within a reasonable period of time.

The aircraft must also have certain papers to be legal to operate.

• Airworthiness Certificate - onboard and visible
• Registration Certificate - onboard with correct address and ownership information on record with the FAA
• Operating Limitations - onboard the aircraft as part of the aircraft operating handbook, separate document or placards

With a little preparation and a calm demeanor, receiving a ramp check is not that big of a deal.

With iFlightPlanner for iPad v2.0 being one of the first comprehensive flight planning apps to fully comply with Apple's iOS 7+ Human Interface Guidelines, some button functionality became less obvious.  This Flight Planning Quick Tip shows you how to show and hide the Planner and NavLog consoles on the Flights tab in iFlightPlanner for iPad.  

Know that the Planner and NavLog is accessible from all views within the Flights Tab; Map, Certified Weather Brief, Weight & Balance, File and Log views.  Full details are available in the iFlightPlanner for iPad v2.0 User Guide or via the Help tab within the app.  Should you have any additional questions please don't hesitate to contact us, we're always happy to help!

The iFlightPlanner Crew
PLAN.FLY.LOG.

The October 2014 digital issue of Avionics News Magazine is now available!

In this month's issue, you'll find:

• The View from Washington
• International News & Regulatory Updates
• BendixKing's New AeroVue Cockpit
• FreeFlight Systems at Forefront of ADS-B
• AEA member profile: Preferred Avionics
  
• Stay Connected to the Cloud, While Flying in the Clouds
• Aviation Aces: Chad Kubick of Kubick Aviation
• New ADS-B Solutions Unveiled at AirVenture

For more information on the Aircraft Electronics Association visit http://www.aea.net/.