Flight Forum

"Taxiing at Towered Airports" (March AOPA Flight Training) discussed how important preparation is to taxiing at even the simplest field and provided some very good points. However, I would like to point out a slight error in the information presented. Under "Tasks before the flight," the fourth paragraph states, "As a pilot, you need to know that the FAA..." and then presents the following example "November Eight-One-Two-One-Kilo, taxi to Runway 9 via Kilo, Whiskey and Sierra, hold short of Runway 4L." The article then states that a "taxi to" instruction clears you to cross all runways and taxiways except the assigned departure runway.

FAA Order JO 7710.65S contains the ATC regulations with a number of phraseology references and examples that are a good resource to pilots in order to learn ATC-speak. Note that for holding versus nonholding instructions, there is a subtle--but noticeable--difference. In the holding taxi instruction, the assigned departure runway is not to be preceded by the phrase "taxi to." In fact, the entire taxi instruction is to be started by stating the departure point on the field first, followed by the instructions and the phrase "taxi via" ("Runway Three-Six Left, taxi via taxiway Alpha, hold short of taxiway Charlie").

This is a nice difference for pilots to focus on. Should you hear "November Eight-One-Two-One-Kilo, Runway 9 taxi via..." you can, at that point, put yourself in the mindset that there will be a hold instruction and you should be prepared to comprehend it and read it back to ATC. If you find that hold instruction missing, you are then alerted by this order of wording that you should ask for ATC to repeat the hold short instruction.
Matthew M. Kreilein
Green Island, New York

Keep your head in the game

After reading in two recent issues of AOPA Flight Training about student pilots who have trouble scheduling lessons on a regular basis I would like to share this with you.

Sometime after my third supervised solo, my flight instructor moved to Nevada for nine months. During that period I didn't fly with another instructor. On his return to his flight school I didn't hesitate to resume my flight training with him. A few minutes into our first "back-in-the-saddle" flight he asked me who I'd been flying with. I replied, "No one, I haven't flown since you left." After a few well-executed maneuvers and a sweet landing he didn't believe me. But it was true.

How could this be? It's really quite simple. All I did was what he taught me to do between lessons long before I soloed. For the last nine months, about three or four times a week I would set a chair in my living room or in the back yard, and pretend that it was the Cessna 172 I was training in. I started with my preflight walk-around. Then I'd climb in, set my seat belt, and close the door. I'd look in front of me and visualize the panel (I had it memorized as my instructor insisted). Set mixture, master, mags, "Clear!" and fire her up. Turn on the avionics master, set the number one com to the ATIS and listen to it. Then set com two to ground and call "El Monte ground, Cessna 8150L at row 26, taxi to the active with November."

My intention was to make it as real as possible, often changing the scenario for various stages of my pretend flight. Taxi to the run-up area, lock the brakes, grab the pilot's operating handbook, do my runup, set com two to the tower frequency, taxi to the hold-short line, and get my clearance to take off. Sometimes I'd stay in the pattern; sometimes I'd go to the practice area. I would use scenarios and situations that I was familiar with and had really experienced in previous actual flights. That helped to keep it as real as possible.

I would even reenact some of my mistakes and how I corrected them. I physically reached out in front of me and held the yoke and had my feet on the rudder pedals. I practiced coordination exercises like Dutch rolls and such. I'd see the horizon tilt as I banked in a turn, or watched it disappear under the nose as I pulled up to practice a stall.

Perform every single step you can think of, scanning for traffic, using the carburetor heat, flap switch, PTT switch, everything.

You won't be able to take a few lessons, pretend to fly in your living room, and pass your checkride, but this will help you through those long lapses between lessons.
David Doermann Sr.
San Dimas, California