Archive for May 14th, 2008

SID’s, STAR’s Airspace Redesign & You

Wednesday, May 14th, 2008

How well do you know your SID’s & your STARS?  Leave it to the FAA to change that!  Do you use a couple of different airports on those common business or personal trips?  Are you used to depart using the runway heading and then at x thousand feet turn left…well you get the picture.  You know them in your sleep, right?  Even if you didn’t have your approach plate in hand you could do it right?  Enter the FAA…

Might be better to not only have that approach plate handy, but write down the departure or approach procedure on your kneeboard.  The FAA is redsigning some airspace in different parts of the country and in a “Brilliant Move” refusing to publish the new procedures until the become final.  Yeah they are taking 40+ year old procedures, the term ‘old habits die hard’ ring any bells, changing them a refusing to publish them until they are final.  Hopefully the change which will be great when finished, won’t be a disaster in the short term!

NOTE TO SELF:  My SID & STAR may be wrong I better write down the whole thing and graph it prior to departure…extra confusion brought to you by the FAA.  Read related story 

Japanese Find New Use for Old Radars

Wednesday, May 14th, 2008

The airport in Osaka Japan has transformed several of its old radars into video games and educational tools for kids.  On one of them has a live feed of planes at the airport.  Put the new park on your list of places to see when you visit Japan that’s why I blogged it.

Link to story