One Aviation Regulation You MUST Know!

by Jason Schappert

So this week I’m bringing you guys a story along with an FAA Regulation that you need to know and understand. I know that the FAR/AIM is a very difficult book to read. It’s not exactly a bed time story :) well maybe for some insomniacs it is haha :) The regulations hidden in those pages though are rules we all need to fly by and it’s vital that we can apply these regulations to our everyday flying. Let’s take a look at the video below.



Want to grab a copy of The FAR/AIM In Plain English? You can do so HERE

  • Pat

    Great vid.. Thanks for posting. Just flew a long VFR xctry yesterday….  Smart phone app great addition.

  • Leyva1998

    it would have been nice if you said what the pilot forgot to check or do or what was the NOTAM. we do not need his name, but we do need to know what he forgot to check. Thanks

  • Guest

    Hi Jason,

    Let’s talk about regulations on fuel gauges… I’ve heard several flight instructors teach students never to trust fuel gauges, but as a pilot who rents airplanes it sounds to me like an excuse not to keep up with MX requirements on the fleet.

    Would like to know your opinion on FAR 91.205 and FAR 23.1337. It seems to be as though we have two FARs indicating that we must have a means to indicate fuel availability to the flight crew and one FAR indicating how to calibrate the fuel tanks, but flight instructors are teaching students that the gauges are only required to be empty when they read empty.

  • Anonymous

    Great work as usual! Love the book too. It makes teaching the regs SOOOOO much easier for both the instructor and student.

  • Gunner

    Jason,

    Is your new book current to 2012 standards?  Will you be producing a new publication every year with changes?

    Gunner
    Salina, KS

  • Del

    Jason, Thank You for all the information you offer the year long. A little thought you may not take into consideration. Others may not also as we are all so busy in our struggle of daily survival activities. But I would like to take a minute and  say Thanks and even a little stronger than that. You will never be able to know other than by intuitive knowledge just how many pilots, to be pilots and even want-a-be pilots whose lives you may be saving each year by your generous contributions of sharing life saving knowledge.  I personally have lived through several events that the movies and the media likes to call crashes. I survived them without a scratch (on me anyway) because I was taught to never stop learning.
    My Grandson whom I had flying with me when he could not yet touch the rudder peddles. Del-3 is now flying Jets in the Navy and yes he finds landing on a bobbing short runway searching for the hook a joy. He was taught by the best of the best of the best but I still forward him your messages which he values and enjoys.
    Speaking for all of us out here,  Thank You, God Bless, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year
    Del Steinacker Sr.          
            PS. There is an interesting book at the Marion County Library on subject. “Deep Survival” by Laurence Gonzales

  • Tom

    I’d appreciate receiving (as offered in the video) the IFR requirements for compliance with FAR 93.103.

    Many thanks and excellent presentations!!

    tom@tomwilliamscpa.com

  • Anonymous

    Congrats Pat! Keep me posted as you get closer to the checkride

    Jason

  • Anonymous

    The Pilot forgot to check for any NOTAMS or TFR’s please keep in mind this was on Sept 11th 2001 and all civillian aircraft were grounded

    Jason

  • Anonymous

    Ohhhh I can feel the toe stepping happening to my fellow CFI’s with what i’m about to write so sorry in advance fellow CFI’s :)

    If your instructor is telling you it only need to read correct when it’s empty they are wrong (I once believed this too)

    - Zero on the fuel gauge is meant to correspond with zero USABLE fuel Not bone dry totally empty and on some aircraft that’s a big difference!

    CFR 91.205(b)(9) – You need Fuel gauges indicating the quantity of fuel in each tank.

    Sounds pretty cut and dry…

    In your case of aircraft rental take a look at this

    91.7 Civil aircraft airworthiness.

    (a) No person may operate a civil aircraft unless it is in an
    airworthy condition.

    (b) The pilot in command of a civil aircraft is responsible for
    determining whether that aircraft is in condition for safe flight. The
    pilot in command shall discontinue the flight when unairworthy
    mechanical, electrical, or structural conditions occur.If you don’t feel safe don’t rent there.Let’s look at this from a practicality standpoint.What if you visually checked the fuel. Even used the fuel stick to tell how many gallons.However you don’t realize you have a fuel leak, or left a fuel cap off and have been pouring fuel out for the past flight hour.”Hey bill the fuel gauges look low” “Don’t worry about it they don’t read accurately and I visually checked the fuel”New famous last words?Sorry for the rant hope it helpsJason

  • Mhlansdell00

    I found myself in a discussion with a captain from one of the big and popular airlines a couple of months ago. I was  taken back when he started fussing about being “ambushed” at KBWI a couple of weeks earlier. It seems he was PIC on a flight from KMIA to KBWI scheduled to arrive around 2345 local. He expected to land, as usual on the 9500 foot runway 33 L or the 10,500 foot 28. Instead he found himself assigned to the seldom used 6000 ft runway 04 and found himself standing on the brakes of a B 73 3 with an expletive on his lips. The second scotch had him reliving the adventure. I told him BWI was doing some major paving work at the intersection of 33 L and 28 and those runways had been closing between 2300 and 0500 local time.  The State reactivated rnwy. 04/22 in good weather to handle the night time “rush”. I asked him what the NOTAMs said before he left Miami which yielded a blank stare and an unspoken “Oh S_ _ t”.
    It seems us amateurs aren’t the only ones who don’t read all there is to read especially on familiar routes. The old adage ‘familiarity breeds contempt’ should be the header  on every pilots knee pad sheet. But then that would become familiar and no one uses knee pads any more. Maybe a check list of what and who to check with should be the wallpaper for the new tablets in the cockpit. Is there an app. for that?

  • Thomas44

    Great story Jason!
    I drive my CFI crazy by what he calls “over thinking”. Mainly, I spend a fair amount of time on the school’s DUATs terminal not only checking wx, but “anything else that may be of importance”. I am forever throwing the “pilot’s obligation to become familiar with…” Just today I completed my second solo XC. I live in a congested miltary area-Navy, AF, Marine Air Stations within 100nm radius. I had been out of the area for almost 2 hours, so I called Flight Service when I was 30 mins out from home “to see if anything changed”-as luck would have it, a VIP TFR had popped and it was right on my route. That 30 second check saved me from a violation. Flight Service may be a pain in the tail filing your plan (since DUATs is more streamlined) but in the air they can save you some heartburn.
    Keep up the good work! And merry Chirstmas!
     

  • Jeffreylathrom

    I dont want to take away from the importance of the lesson, but I cant help thinking that this is also one of those situations where someone was made an exampe of by the Federal Government… Living under a rock doesnt help either. He must have taken off from a secluded private runway without turning on the radio or televison or seeing any other living humanbeing that morning. 

  • Ctaylor

    Jason,
    Nice video lesson.  You do a great job.  I too would like to look at the IFR requirements you  feel should be added to “all” info.

    thanks,
    ctaylor@cetayloroil.com

  • Jdavidrich

    Good job as usual, Jason. As a former law professor, trial lawyer and pro tem judge I am shocked that the FAA would over react like this. Ridiculous.

  • Harshi

    Hi Jason,
    i have a huge confusion on 61.129b of the FAR. I did my PPL part 61 and instrument Part141, for the 10hrs of instrument time needed for commercial multi; is it possible to combine 5hrs of instrument time from my instrument training (single engine)…..
    thank you
    Love your videos
       

  • ThomasC

    I always check the fuel visually and look at the gauges **every** time I go fly. The pre-flight would seem to fall under 91.7 section b. The gauges in the plane I fly have been fairly accurate from my observations. It’s also good to read the POH to see how much usable fuel there is… 30 gallons with .5 gallons in each wing that isn’t usable for the plane I fly. Plus, you’d need to check the weight and balance with that much fuel to make sure you were in the envelope.  Another thing that comes to mind is if something goes wrong, find a place to land and figure it out on the ground.  Too many distractions while airborne is bad and it should be recognised by the pilot and be a signal to land.  Plus you might find a really neat airport you’ve never been too and have fun exploring it. :)

  • ThomasC

    Good info! :) I went to a FAA Safety seminar a while back where complacency and familiarity go the better of a crew which landed on the wrong runway. It was due to poor read back from the controller’s directions. These seminars are free and always teach me something… time well spent.

  • Erick

    I remember 91.103 as NWKRAFT.

  • Anonymous

    I like it dude!

  • Anonymous

    Harshi,

    You have to keep in mind that you DO NOT need an instrument rating to get a commercial certificate and that is why a lot of these requirments that seem weird popup. 

    The FAA actually released an official statement on this awhile back “We anticipate that for commercial pilot applicants who already hold an instrument rating, the hours of instrument training used to obtain that rating will meet at least some, if not most, or quite often, meet all the requirements for instrument aeronautical experience as required under 61.129.”

    So to answer your question… You’ll just need the 3 hours in the multi engine aircraft you’re testing in.

    Make sense?

    Jason

  • Anonymous

    Thanks! And I totally understand. But at the same time like another person said the guy had to be living under a rock to not know. Yet if it was me they way I avoid the news I could see this happening! Always check those NOTAMS and TFRS

  • Anonymous

    In addition to the mentioned in the video you need for IFR….

     For a flight under IFR or a flight not in the vicinity of an airport,

      weather reports and forecasts, fuel requirements, alternatives available if

      the planned flight cannot be completed, and any known traffic delays of which

      the pilot in command has been advised by ATC;

  • Anonymous

    Totally agree man

  • Anonymous

    Congrats on the 2nd solo X/C getting closer to the checkride it sounds like. :) Never worry about “Over thinking” when it comes to checking TFRs and NOTAMs Now I guess you don’t need to know about every unlit tower in a 3,000 mile radius but you get the idea

    Jason

  • Anonymous

    WOW! Too cray huh? And these are the guys I pay the big buck to so they can get me there safely. Next time I board i’ll hand them the printed NOTAM sheet :) hahaha funny!

  • Anonymous

    posted above – Jason

  • Anonymous

    DEL!

    Thanks so much man! Your kind words are what keep me going. Have a wonderful Christmas

    Jason

  • Anonymous

    Hey Gunner! Hope all is well with you man!

    The book is as current as ever! Up to 2012 standards and beyond.

    There are only around 100 regulations needed for private and sport pilots. So if ANY of them change i new version will come out. However the last big change was the FAA medicals 2 years ago. These regulations normally stay pretty constant.

    jason

  • Anonymous

    Thanks so much Stu! Glad you’re enjoying it

    Jason

  • http://www.dailycfi.com Casey Hansen

    Great video, Jason. I think a lot of pilots take this regulation too lightly … sometimes leading to undesired results.

  • DJ

    Very good, and very correct. I have a service through the FAA where they email me all NOTAMS in my area so it is very unlikely for me to forget to check them. Could violating something like this make it difficult to get a position for an airline? I assume it would, but I didn’t know if there is only a certain degree of violation that could compromise employment. 

  • Vonboyd2

    Great Great Info.  You are the new ROD MACHADO!!!

  • Greg

    Jason, my brother and I both have our private licenses.  We are playing with the idea of getting our instruments.  If we go out and practice with one of us under the hood how do we log the time for the one under the hood and for the other one that is PIC (or is that person actually considered PIC)?

    Thanks for everything you’re doing for general aviation.

  • Anonymous

    Totally agree Casey! Thanks for the comment!

    Jason

  • Anonymous

    DJ,

    I don;t know for sure but I’d say yes. Things like this just don’t “magically” leave your record. Any job or insurance quote is going to be hard to get. I think once you’re on the list it makes a lot of things tough. Now I could be quite wrong. If so please someone step in and correct me.

    Jason

  • Anonymous

    In my dreams man :) Thanks :)

    Jason

  • Wd

    what are those IFR  FAR/AIM  .103 that you must be famailar with  that you spoke of

  • Mark C.

    Jason, good stuff as usual. Got my attention, I have to admit, I never check NOTAMs for a trip to the practice area or in the pattern – I will now, it would only take a couple minutes extra. It never occurred to me that something like this could happen. 

  • Guerinxruiz

    Thx, Jason for your help!!!!!. Im study for my  checkride. I have only 7 hours but i need to study. Because there are lot of pilots that  learn regulations only for the text and forget everything in the moment that they need it. If you can make a vid about communication in differents airspaces.  Thax!!!!

  • Ray

    Why is FAR 91.137  &  91.139 not in your book?

  • David

    Interesting – I can’t see comments when using Google Chrome’s browser ( Firefox and IE seem to display them )

  • http://starflightpress.com/ Reya Kempley

    Great explanation of a very vague rule! It’s nice to see an actual list of things to check. Being prepared is so important, I’ve always felt like being obsessive here isn’t necessarily a bad thing. A few years back I was flying into South Lake Tahoe where they were repaving the runway and it was closed. The NOTAM said to land on the adjacent taxiway. From a pretty good distance away you could see trucks and things on the runway forming X’s. There was another pilot landing #1 in front of me, in a nice plane (so I assumed he was fairly experienced). He came on the radio on short final and said, “what’s all that stuff on the runway?” In return, the airport guy came on the radio and shouted “Runway closed! Runway closed!” I just couldn’t believe this guy didn’t do even the most basic of preparation for his flight! Short final is not the time to be discovering these things.

  • Rdgrimm99

    Great info. Thanks

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