Recent content by PastZTL

I don't know, its just a guess. It is not primary radar. I'll turn the query over to the swivelheads as they have more experience in this.

I'd guess it's an Airport Surface Detection Equipment antenna. We had one SSR only radar at CSV, but it had a 10 second rotation speed.

That's poor technique on the part of the controller. I would suggest asking, "Do you want me to go direct FIXXB?"

I was a Boy Scout leader for 10 years when my son was a scout. To me, a well-run Troop was a lot more than hiking and camping (although we did a lot of that). Developing young men into leaders was the biggest goal aside from the outdoor skills. Additionally, probably half of the merit badges...

Direct (assuming you're not on a PBN procedure) is not a laser beam in the sky. Can modern aircraft's nav equipment make it seem that way? Yes. If you're in a radar environment and the controller needs you to fly something for separation, he/she should assign a radar vector. Should you turn 90...

Have you gone to the courthouse and looked at the plat itself? If not, I would suggest doing so. GIS websites are helpful, but it's the plat that governs. While you're there, take a look at the deed for any recorded easements. Have you done a survey? If not, it's worth the money to prevent...

It probably varies by people's personal experience, but in my experience, the controllers who hired in the first 5 years after the strike were, as a group, the best i ever saw. The training program was intense, and there was no union to protect trainees from whatever the supervisor decided. I...

Asking a pilot to advise of altitude changes does a couple of things. First, a revised altitude should be entered into the computer to ensure proper flight plan processing. It may make a difference as to the airspace you are flying through, and by extension, the next controller you will talk to...

I always taught my trainees that they were to treat a piston single in ice as an emergency. Give them anything they want (accounting for terrain) so the aircraft can (hopefully) get out of the ice ASAP.

The controller left out any connection to the previously cleared route. You should clarify by asking what to do next. Most likely the controller will tell you to expect a particular approach.

Was LIGMA on your previously cleared route?

As far as the control structure is concerned (tower, approach control, enroute center, approach control, tower) and a few of the clearances, it's about the same. Everything else is vastly different. Automated radar data processing (radar scopes with data blocks) and flight data processing...

If you contact the facility reference a concern about the air traffic services provided, the facility is required to log it as a Mandatory Occurrence Report and investigate what happened. I think I only had to look into one ASRS reported incident in my career, so calling the facility is...

One study i read several years ago was that 40% of sober people couldn't pass the field sobriety tests. I have never been pulled over for suspected DUI (drinking ANY alcohol before driving is a hard NO) but I decided years ago to politely refuse all field sobriety tests. That's what surprised me...

I was always curious about what rules (if any) there are about mounting cameras externally. Are they so small that they can be mounted pretty much anywhere?