Aero-Tips!

A good pilot is always learning -- how many times have you heard this old standard throughout your flying career? There is no truer statement in all of flying (well, with the possible exception of "there are no old, bold pilots.")

Aero-News has called upon the expertise of Thomas P. Turner, master CFI and all-around-good-guy, to bring our readers -- and us -- daily tips to improve our skills as aviators. Some of them, you may have heard before... but for each of us, there will also be something we might never have considered before, or something that didn't "stick" the way it should have the first time we memorized it for the practical test.

Look for our daily Aero-Tips segments, coming each day to you through the Aero-News Network.

Aero-Tips 08.31.06

We've been discussing the fateful crash of a Comair Regional Jet earlier this week, at Lexington, KY. Yesterday we reviewed a similar crash from 2000, when a Singapore Airlines 747 attempted takeoff on an incorrect runway, only to collide with a construction barrier on the closed runway.

Like many others, for years I've taught techniques that will minimize the chances you might attempt to take off on the wrong runway:

• If your airplane is equipped with a Horizontal Situation Indicator (HSI), turn the course needle to point to the runway heading. I like to do this before I start to taxi -- it helps me visualize when I'm taxiing "downwind" to the departure runway, and to otherwise orient myself during ground movement. With the course needle aligned this way, it will be pointing straight up (ahead) when you line up with the intended runway.
• If you don't have an HSI or a departure procedure requires you orient it otherwise, set any heading bug on the runway heading. You'll need to fly runway heading for at least a few hundred feet of climb anyway, so it will indicate your initial heading even if you plan to make a turn shortly. The heading bug is not as obvious as an HSI course needle, but it is still a valid cross-check.
• Regardless, check that the directional gyroscope is aligned with the magnetic compass long before you line up for departure. If you have to manually set the heading indicator/directional gyro, do so in the runup area... do not wait to spin it into alignment with the runway heading after you taxi into position, because it would be too easy to spin it to the wrong heading at that point if you're already confused. Without an HSI or a heading bug this may be your last line of defense.
• Carry taxiway diagrams. You can download them for free from www.aopa.org/airports and print copies before you fly. If you have a cockpit multifunction display and a current database you may be able to display taxi diagrams on the moving map display. Use these to orient yourself to the runway in use.
• If in doubt, ask.  Neither the Singapore nor the Comair crew appeared to have been aware of their confusion, but if you ever feel the least bit unsure of yourself call the tower (assuming it's a tower-controlled airport) or otherwise confirm that the runway you see is the one you expect.  Look for taxiway signs that identify the runway. Check the runway numbers to see if they're what you know they should be. (Note: In many cases when you taxi onto the runway, the runway numbers will be behind you).

Aero-tip of the day: Use some technique to orient yourself on the ground, to ensure you line up to take off on the correct runway.

FMI: Aero-Tips