Prepare to Stand Down for Safety

On Saturday, April 17, the FAA Safety Team will present its first Safety Stand Down at the 2010 Sun ‘n Fun Fly-In in Lakeland, Florida. The Stand Down is a safety and education initiative designed to improve your flying safety and focuses on four key areas:

owner-performed maintenance
approach and landing
surface deviations
risk management

Experts will share their knowledge and skills on these important topics during a series of live and Webcast presentations at the FAA Forum area. The presentations will also be broadcast online at www.faaproductionstudios.com/. Additional resources on these topics are available with a special DVD that will be distributed nationwide. Sign up today on the new www.FAASafety.gov for more information about the Stand Down and to be notified about other FAA-sponsored events and seminars.
 
FAA Issues Bulletin on Propeller Overspeed Concern

FAA issued a Special Airworthiness Information Bulletin (SAIB) on March 17 that addresses concerns with propeller overspeed in piston aircraft with variable pitch propellers. The bulletin urges pilots to be aware that in certain cases of propeller overspeed, maintaining engine-out best glide speed may not be sufficient to maintain level flight.  FAA recommends following the appropriate emergency procedures for your aircraft to mitigate an overspeed condition. However, in addition to reducing the throttle (as outlined in most pilot operating handbooks), pilots should also reduce airspeed as much as practical (with an adequate margin above stall speed) to maintain safe flight. This airspeed determination should be made at a safe altitude when the pilot has time to determine an alternative course of action other than landing immediately.
 
To view the SAIB, go to http://www.faa.gov/aircraft/safety/alerts/SAIB/ and search for CE-10-21.
 
Flying By The Numbers; A Precision Approach to Landing

Being a pilot requires an up-close and personal knowledge of numbers. Of particular importance are airspeed numbers that can often mean the difference between touching down safely and ending up in the weeds. However, as conditions vary—sometimes unexpectedly—so must these airspeed numbers that are too often etched in our memory as black and white standards. In her article, “Flying By the Numbers,” in FAA Safety Briefing, author Meredith Saini explores this grey area and stresses the importance of reading the “fine print” in order to use airspeed numbers more effectively. One example is adjusting the final approach speeds on a gusty day to compensate for the variable wind, typically by adding one-half the gust factor. Check out the article on page 11 of the March/April 2010 issue.