Ed_Wischmeyer
Well Known Member
Or at least, with the new procedures guy in the tower. His last day working the microphones was yesterday, after 29 years, and today, he's got a desk job. I took him up so that he could see ADS-B in the cockpit.
There were a number of things that FAA training had not conveyed to him:
* Airborne ADS-B does not indicate what kind of airplane is shown on the display, and that's why pilots sometimes ask for N# confirmation of the traffic.
* He did not know about UAT and anonymous mode
* On his side of the cockpit, I displayed simultaneously (two windows in one screen) the semi-radar screen traffic display and also traffic displayed over a map. He could see the limitations of each.
* I talked about altitude bands, and how incoming airliners could be on tower frequency but not displayed as they were outside the band.
* He was impressed by the relative target track display
* He didn't know about LPV approaches and what the obscure meaning of "precision approach" is. Nor how WAAS worked and its limitations.
* I also showed him the book legal but never taught markings of the movement area boundary along the ramp.
I learned some things, too. Coming in, approach handed us over to tower without clearing us for the approach. When I called in to tower, I told them our position and that we were assigned an altitude. Most tower controllers don't have the training to clear for the approach, but he recognized the tower controller's voice and knew that he was certified on radar and hence could clear us.
I may not get a chance to fly any of the line controllers as the tower is understaffed, but it was a good experience for us both. And I know he's going to share lessons learned with his staff.
There were a number of things that FAA training had not conveyed to him:
* Airborne ADS-B does not indicate what kind of airplane is shown on the display, and that's why pilots sometimes ask for N# confirmation of the traffic.
* He did not know about UAT and anonymous mode
* On his side of the cockpit, I displayed simultaneously (two windows in one screen) the semi-radar screen traffic display and also traffic displayed over a map. He could see the limitations of each.
* I talked about altitude bands, and how incoming airliners could be on tower frequency but not displayed as they were outside the band.
* He was impressed by the relative target track display
* He didn't know about LPV approaches and what the obscure meaning of "precision approach" is. Nor how WAAS worked and its limitations.
* I also showed him the book legal but never taught markings of the movement area boundary along the ramp.
I learned some things, too. Coming in, approach handed us over to tower without clearing us for the approach. When I called in to tower, I told them our position and that we were assigned an altitude. Most tower controllers don't have the training to clear for the approach, but he recognized the tower controller's voice and knew that he was certified on radar and hence could clear us.
I may not get a chance to fly any of the line controllers as the tower is understaffed, but it was a good experience for us both. And I know he's going to share lessons learned with his staff.
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