I4401

This, and all subsequent RI flights, require that you contact the IP the night before the flight regarding where you want to go. When you call, be assertive, and recommend a course of action (be sure the approaches you want to do are in fact available!). Then complete a DD175 and Jet Log for the flight to be presented at the brief. Failure to prepare a DD175 and jet log is grounds for a ready room down.

=Required equipment for night flight= &quot;L(ICE) CAR&quot; OPNAV 3710.7T 8-1 and 8-2: Flashlight and signal device required for all night flights.
 * Lights: All Instrument, and Circuit breaker panel, and Exterior Lights
 * Communication radio
 * Attitude gyro
 * Radar altimeter

N/A - and don't forget...flashlight with 2 &quot;D&quot; batteries, NATOPS and OPNAV only say a flashlight but the FAR talks about the batteries! NATOPS also requires a signaling device (flare).

EDIT: You should read all of the text of a given FAR subpart or section before assuming the regulations contained within it apply to military pilots or helicopters, etc.

From FAR §91.503

(a) The pilot in command of an airplane shall ensure that the following flying equipment and aeronautical charts and data, in current and appropriate form, are accessible for each flight at the pilot station of the airplane:

(1) A flashlight having at least two size &quot;D&quot; cells, or the equivalent, that is in good working order.

However, §91.503 is contained within Part 91 Subpart F - Large and Turbine-Powered Multiengine Airplanes and Fractional Ownership Program Aircraft, which states:

(a) This subpart prescribes operating rules, in addition to those prescribed in other subparts of this part, governing the operation of large airplanes of U.S. registry, turbojet-powered multiengine civil airplanes of U.S. registry, and fractional ownership program aircraft of U.S. registry that are operating under subpart K of this part in operations not involving common carriage.

These regulations are therefore not applicable to the TH-57 at Whiting Field. That is the only section in FAR Part 91 mentioning a requirement for a flashlight.

=Straight-in/circle-to-land approach= Straight-in approach Circle to land
 * An instrument approach wherein final approach is begun without first having executed a procedure turn. Not necessarily completed with a straight in landing or made to straight in landing minimums.
 * Straight in mins are shown when the final approach course is within 30 degrees of the runway alignment (15 degrees for GPS IAPs)
 * NOTE: the 30 degrees from runway alignment refers to a straight in LANDING not straight in approach
 * ''Note2: therefore, the straight-in mins on your approach plate are straight-in LANDING mins and not straight-in approach mins. Seems to me like the Crestview VOR A helps show the difference.  If you don't do the procedure turn on it, then it's a straight-in approach.  But it can't be a straight-in landing since the final approach course dumps you off mid-field (obviously more than 30 degrees off rwy centerline heading) and you need to circle to land.
 * A maneuver initiated by the pilot to align the aircraft with a runway for landing when a straight in landing from an instrument approach is not possible or is not desirable. This maneuver is made only after Air Traffic Control authorization has been obtained and the pilot has established required visual reference to the airport.
 * If visual reference is lost while circling to land from an instrument approach, the missed approach procedure must be followed...To become established on the missed approach course, the pilot should make an initial climbing turn toward the landing runway and continue the turn until established on the missed approach course (AIM 5-4-21c)
 * Obstacle clearance for circling mins is only guaranteed if one remains within the circling approach area radius for one's approach category. For the TH-57, this radius is 1.3 miles.  If one is going to circle outside of this radius, it would make sense to abide by the circling min of a higher category.  See AIM 5-4-20 and Figure 5-4-26 on 5-4-20.

=Electrical System malfunctions while IMC= Most malfunctions are the same in IMC or VMC they just suck more. However a few are different:
 * Unknown origin electrical fire - don't turn off the standby attitude indicator
 * FCS inverter failure means you can no longer fly IMC you must proceed directly to the nearest VMC or land. (*Read NATOPS CH. 4.18 - &quot;The following equiptment must be operative PRIOR to entering IMC...&quot;*)

=Flight Control Malfunctions while IMC= See above regarding the FCS inverter. With all system emergencies remember that they are non-immediate in nature. The nonflying pilot should get out his PCL and go through the EP's cookbook style.

FCS Inverter light flashes: If FCS inverter voltage is less than 111 volts: 1. FCS circuit breaker (ESS-1, lower panel)--PULL 2. Establish VMC

Avionics Inverter failure: (Indications: AC voltage drop; RMI--needles failing in the VOR position; Yaw servo failure)

1. AVIONICS INV circuit breaker (ESS-2, upper panel)--PULL Note: Further flight in IMC is possible, but must be accomplished without RMIs and yaw servo

Note that according to NATOPS, FCS light flashing prohibits IMC, but an avionics inverter failure does not. The pitch and roll servos are what are required for IMC flight. Remember, you still have Force Trim.

=Enroute/Feeder routes=
 * The normal navigational aid spacing for airways/routes below 18,000 feet MSL is 80 nautical miles and the airspace area to be protected has a total width of 8 nautical miles, 4 nautical miles each side of centerline, within 51 nautical miles of the facility. Beyond 51 nautical miles the 4.5 degree accuracy factor determines the width of the airways/routes (approximately 2 NM in total width every 13 NM). (B-2 FIH)
 * A feeder route is route depicted on Instrument Approach Procedure Charts to designate routes for aircraft to proceed from the enroute structure to the Initial Approach Fix (IAF).

=Minimum Safe Altitudes/Emergency Safe Altitudes=
 * MSAs are expressed in feet above mean sea level and normally have a 25 NM radius; however, this radius may be expanded to 30 NM if necessary to encompass the airport landing surfaces.
 * When established, sectors may be no less than 90° in spread. MSAs provide 1,000 feet clearance over all obstructions but do not necessarily assure acceptable navigation signal coverage.
 * Emergency Safe Altitudes are depicted on approach charts which provide at least 1,000 feet of obstacle clearance in non mountainous areas and 2,000 feet of obstacle clearance in designated mountainous areas within a 100 mile radius of the navigational facility upon which the procedure is predicated and normally used only in military procedures. Military aircraft are typically flying at faster speeds and need wider radius of clearance. These altitudes are identified on published procedures as &quot;Emergency Safe Altitudes&quot;.

=MOCA/MCA/MRA= Minimum Obstacle Clearance Altitude MCA Minimum Crossing Altitude MRA Minimum Reception Altitude
 * The lowest published altitude in effect between radio fixes on VOR airways, off-airway routes, or route segments which meets obstacle clearance requirements for the entire route segment and which assures acceptable navigational signal coverage only within 25 statute (22 nautical) miles of a VOR.
 * This is the altitude under the MEA written *0000
 * MEA itself (Minimum Enroute Altitude) is the lowest published altitude between radio fixes which assures acceptable navigational signal coverage and meets obstacle clearance requirements between those fixes. The MEA prescribed for a Federal airway or segment thereof applies to the entire width of the airway.  So while MOCA's navaid coverage is only guaranteed to 22NM, MEA's is good for the entire distance between the fixes (assuming you switch navaids appropriately).
 * If both a MEA and MOCA are prescribed for a particular route or route segment, a person may operate an aircraft below the MEA down to, but not below, the MOCA, provided the applicable navigation signals are available. For aircraft using VOR for navigation, this applies only when the aircraft is within 22NM of that VOR (based on the pilot's reasonable estimate of the distance) FAR 91.177
 * The lowest altitude at certain fixes at which an aircraft must cross when proceeding in the direction of a higher Minimum Enroute Instrument Flight Rules Altitude (MEA).
 * You must cross the intersection at or above MCA, so determine a point prior to the intersection to begin a standard rate climb (clear it with ATC first) such that you are at or above the MCA before you arrive at the intersection.
 * The lowest altitude at which an intersection can be determined. This applies only to fixes/intersections that can be identified by a navaid other than the ones defining that airway.

The MEA/MOCA is determined by taking the highest relevant obstacle elevation, rounding to the nearest hundred feet, and adding the required obstacle clearance (ROC), which is 1000' (non-mountainous) or 2000' (mountainous) to it. Alternate ROCs exist in some specific areas (Hawaii, Alaska, etc).

=DD 175 and DD 175-1=

Be prepared to go through each individual block on the DD 175. For example: there are 3 kinds of flight plans we can file (I, V, D); /G means we have a GPS on board and if we were to lose it we would be considered /A (Transponder with Mode C) etc.; know how to do Rank/Honor Code (see GP 4-27); Pilot in Command can sign or can designate another winged aviator to sign (ODO in our case) and know what you're signing for:

By signing the DD 175 you are stating that:
 * Flight is authorized
 * Adequate/Accurate flight planning done
 * Fuel and Wx requirements met
 * Each pilot in form flight has a Wx brief
 * PIC has instrument rating if any of flight to be IMC
 * Passengers briefed and manifested
 * Weight and Balance completed
 * PIC acknowledges responsibility for safe and orderly conduct of flight

A mnemonic for this is: Responsible Aviators Make Plans and Weigh Fuel In case of Weather. WARPSWIM also works.
 * Responible for safe and orderly conduct of flight
 * Authorized flight
 * Manifested and briefed passengers
 * Planning is adequate/accurate
 * Weight and balance is completed
 * Fuel and weather requirements are met
 * Instrument rated if any of flight will be IMC
 * Wx brief has been given to each pilot in form flight

At a military airfield you should get your weather brief in the form of a DD 175-1. At civilian airfields contact a FSS weather briefer at 1(800) WXBRIEF. A weather briefing void time is no more than (3710.7U) 3.0 hours past briefing time; OR no more than .5 after ETD. If yours is due to expire contact a flight briefer and update it. GET A NEW FLIMSY # as that is your only legal proof you got an updated brief. Similarly, your ETD is good for +2 hours. If you have not activated or updated your flight plan by 2 hours past the filed ETD, it will "time out" and be automatically removed from the ATC system.