Leading Edge Flying Club

By Lou J. Wipotnik, Master CFI and ATP

Revised for: LEFC on Mar. 05, 2011

The following is a list of questions and answers on the issue of Avoiding Bird Hazards. As we enter into the spring flying season, many pilots find themselves sharing the skies with migrating flocks of birds. Knowing a little about their migration habits may be helpful if you find yourself flying during the peak migration seasons of Spring and Fall.

By Lou J. Wipotnik, Master CFI and ATP

Revised for: LEFC on Feb. 01, 2011

FAR91-103 Preflight Action – Requires you to be a “Know It All”, pertaining to any flight. For winter operations a few worthwhile contractions should be familiar in your Notam aviation vocabulary.

Contractions from the AIM 2010 (5-1-3) used in "NOTAMs."

Note: During the winter snow and ice season, it is always a good idea to call ahead too the local FSS, FBO and/or a local flight school. Check on hours of operation for fuel, storage, pre-heat and ground transportation, etc.

While cruising at FL370 last week on our way to Chicago, (ORD) my first officer asked me a question that stuck
with me long after the flight had ended. Aware that I was also a designated pilot examiner in the general aviation world and knowing how important clearing turns are in accomplishing the various checkride maneuvers, he asked me how many flight hours I thought I had accumulated over the years just doing clearing turns? Interesting question.

Well, I had never really thought of that. Probably because clearing turns are something pilots do without regard to the time it takes to complete them. I think this was the first time in over thirty-one years of airline flying that a question about clearing turns had ever come up. However, as a pilot examiner I am frequently asked a variety of questions regarding clearing turns, usually from either aspiring pilot applicants about to take their checkrides or from CFIs responsible for preparing their students to become the safest pilots possible.

Typically, their questions are more like, "What constitutes a proper (or acceptable) clearing turn for the checkride?" Or, "How often do I need to accomplish a clearing turn during the checkride?" These questions are usually centered on their desire to determine what I will need to see during the checkride to be a "happy DPE" and therefore PASS the applicant for behaving like a safe pilot.