Aviation Speak

Words that a nonpilot could live a lifetime without using seem to crop up frequently in aviation. Abeam is such a word. When landing at a towered airport, you may be asked to report your position abeam the tower. When you are learning landing operations, your instructor may tell you to put in a notch of flaps abeam the runway numbers.

The term abeam is used to indicate an approximate position relative to some landmark on the ground, rather than a precise point in space. Your aircraft is abeam a given point when that point is approximately 90 degrees off your left or right side. In other words, you are abeam the tower when it is more or less directly off your left wingtip in a standard left traffic pattern.

Flight Standards District Office (FSDO)

Your area flight standards district office is your local link to the FAA. FSDOs are FAA field offices, each serving a specific geographic location. The staff of your local FSDO is there to serve you, the pilot, and members of the general public with information on matters relating to the certification and operation of both general aviation and air carrier aircraft.

Among the activities your local FSDO performs are pilot certification, aircraft certification, accident prevention, enforcement of FAA regulations, investigation of violations, and general safety oversight. If you need official guidance on meeting the aviation regulations or special services such as a flight test so that you can demonstrate your ability to fly despite certain medical conditions, your FSDO is the place to go.

Fuel Remaining

Occasionally, a controller may ask you for fuel remaining. This is most likely to happen when the controller needs to route you far from your intended course or expects to put you in a holding pattern for some time. Under similar circumstances, you may need to caution a controller that you are getting low on fuel. When reporting fuel remaining, give the approximate number of minutes that the flight can continue with the fuel on board. Include all reserve fuel and compensate for the wind and any known fuel gauge errors.