The Comair crash reminds me...

Actual runway details are on the instrument approach charts,
including direction to the degree and elevation and slope.

Set the HI to the compass as per the correction card if you
don't have a slaved compass system. In any case, set the
heading bug to the straight ahead position when aligned with
the runway, that way the FD or just a plain HI will fly
runway heading.


"Peter R." wrote in message
...
| Guy Elden Jr wrote:
|
| all I did was reset the dg to the runway heading,
|
| Guy, I am curious about this. I have flown with other
pilots who reset the
| DG to the runway heading, but when I question them about
this, they admit
| to setting the DG to the runway number (with the trailing
zero, of course).
| As you most likely know, the runway number (with trailing
zero) can be off
| from the actual heading by as much as 10 degrees.
|
| This leads me to my question: How do you easily discover
the actual runway
| heading at an unfamiliar airport? Do you, after deciding
on the runway you
| would use once you start the aircraft, pull out instrument
charts or
| airport diagrams and write down the runway heading?
|
| I am curious how others integrate this into their
post-start, pre-taxi or
| pre-takeoff checklists.
|
|
|
| --
| Peter

"Ross Richardson" wrote

Ross, check your settings. Is it possible that you are not posting with
plain text?
--
Jim in NC

Peter R. wrote:
John Gaquin wrote:


For the last 13 years I have traveled just about every business week.
Early on I learned to carry with me a Sharper Image travel-sized white
noise radio.

How big is it (I don't check luggage, so I'm very limited on space).
And more importantly, will it drown out interstate traffic just outside
the hotel window?

In article ,
Emily wrote:

For the last 13 years I have traveled just about every business week.
Early on I learned to carry with me a Sharper Image travel-sized white
noise radio.

How big is it (I don't check luggage, so I'm very limited on space).

mine is about twice the volume of my PDA. Plus the AC adapter (or
use batteries)

And more importantly, will it drown out interstate traffic just outside
the hotel window?

Maybe, especially if the volume is cranked.

--
Bob Noel
Looking for a sig the
lawyers will hate

Emily wrote:

How big is it (I don't check luggage, so I'm very limited on space).

My device is similar to this one at about 5 inches long by 2.5 inches high:

http://tinyurl.com/rra65

I did note that this new model does not appear to offer white noise as one
of its twenty sounds, however, unless they renamed the sound.

And more importantly, will it drown out interstate traffic just outside
the hotel window?

Interstate traffic is tough, depending on how close it is to your window
and whether the roads are wet. I will say that the device would make it
much more tolerable, as the white noise will drown out most of the variable
sounds outside your window. It probably won't do anything with the noise
of trucks as they downshift right outside your window, though.

If it is that bad, you have no choice but to demand of the hotel management
to put you in a room away from the highway if they desire your recurring
business. I had to do that once in a hotel in Buffalo, NY, that was
literally right along the highway in the city.

After tossing and turning all night to the din of trucks and cars hitting
the pavement cracks, I demanded a room that week and every week thereafter
on the "quiet" side of the hotel or else my weekly room revenue would be
given to another hotel.

--
Peter

Jim Macklin wrote:

Actual runway details are on the instrument approach charts,
including direction to the degree and elevation and slope.

Yep, I am aware of that. I was curious whether it is common for pilots to
pull out their instrument charts after learning of or deciding upon what
runway is in use/to use at an unfamiliar airport. It seems to me that with
the workload of pre-taxi, taxi, and pre-takeoff checklists, this item is
probably not a task many pilots perform. Or do they?

In my case I have a slaved HSI in my Bonanza, so I had been quickly
comparing the HSI heading to the runway number to see if it is within ten
or so degrees of the runway number as part of the "lights, camera, action"
taking-the-runway mnemonic.

--
Peter

The slaved compass is corrected so as many errors
(deviation) are corrected and variation is also corrected as
much as possible too, so the slaved compass may be reading
different from the whiskey compass unless you apply the
compass correction card FOR-Steer to get a more accurate
setting for the HI. But the whiskey compass is not supposed
to have any error greater than 10 on any heading. Often the
compass is swung with the electrical and radios running. It
seems that swinging the compass should be done with the
electrical system dead and the radios off, that is when I'd
want the most accurate magnetic compass.


"Peter R." wrote in message
...
| Jim Macklin wrote:
|
| Actual runway details are on the instrument approach
charts,
| including direction to the degree and elevation and
slope.
|
| Yep, I am aware of that. I was curious whether it is
common for pilots to
| pull out their instrument charts after learning of or
deciding upon what
| runway is in use/to use at an unfamiliar airport. It
seems to me that with
| the workload of pre-taxi, taxi, and pre-takeoff
checklists, this item is
| probably not a task many pilots perform. Or do they?
|
| In my case I have a slaved HSI in my Bonanza, so I had
been quickly
| comparing the HSI heading to the runway number to see if
it is within ten
| or so degrees of the runway number as part of the "lights,
camera, action"
| taking-the-runway mnemonic.
|
| --
| Peter

In article ,
"Peter R." wrote:

I was curious whether it is common for pilots to
pull out their instrument charts after learning of or deciding upon what
runway is in use/to use at an unfamiliar airport. It seems to me that with
the workload of pre-taxi, taxi, and pre-takeoff checklists, this item is
probably not a task many pilots perform. Or do they?

As part of my pre-departure IFR procedures, I was taught to set up the
panel and cockpit for an immediate instrument approach to return to the
departure airport.
That means have the approach plate out for approach to be used and
configure the second nav for the frequency of the navaid. Listen to
assure the identifier is audible and check that the indicator display is
appropriate.

Jim Macklin wrote
The slaved compass is corrected so as many errors
(deviation) are corrected and variation is also corrected as
much as possible too,

SAY WHAT!!!! How does one fly an ATC assigned heading if VAR
has been 'corrected' out?

Bob Moore

I took a freind up today and he asked how something like that can happen. My
answer was simple, their human.

Its SO easy!!!!!!!

It is... and my understanding is that's the reason for the sterile
cockpit rule. Incidentally, there was an off-duty pilot sitting in the
jumpseat in the cockpit along for the ride on the Comair flight.
Wouldn't surprise me if things got a little too relaxed that early in
the morning for just a brief moment.

--
Guy