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Step-By-Step Guide To Performing Ground Reference Maneuvers

Northstar VFR

Make sure you're at the recommended altitude (600-1,000 feet AGL) per ACS guidelines. Begin a turn around the point, keeping asteepest bank angleon the downwind, where your groundspeed is highest. your groundspeed begins to slow down),shallow your bank angleto compensate for the decreasing groundspeed.

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Heads-up, hands-free: How to use iPad audio alerts for safer flights

iPad Pilot News

IN-FLIGHT ALERTS 500 AGL Alerts – Alerts when descending through 500 ft. AGL after having been above 1,000 ft. The alert will only sound once every 60 seconds and is automatically disabled if groundspeed is less than 40 knots. AGL (or when AGL is unknown), the descent rate exceeds 4,000 ft. per minute AGL.

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Descent Planning: Strategies for Safe and Smooth Arrivals

Flight Training Central

As an example, the Garmin GTN series offers a vertical calculation (VCALC) function that includes the ability to set a desired rate of descent to calculate the appropriate point to begin your descent based on your aircrafts current groundspeed. In our example: 167kts / 2 = 83.5 Convert to mileage from destination if desired: To convert 13.2

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Danger lurks in circling approaches

Air Facts

At what AGL altitude will the aircraft be in a stable/configured condition? (No FAA parameters are no lower than 500’ AGL for stabilized criteria What specific runway lighting do we expect to see? The rule of thumb is VSI = ½ groundspeed times 10. What procedures will be followed in the event of a ground proximity warning?

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How to fly a rectangular course

Flight Training Central

The airplane will be flown at 1,000’ AGL parallel to and at an equal distance from the field boundaries – about ½ – ¾ miles from the boundary as you would fly a traffic pattern. The entry into the maneuver should be accomplished downwind as you would enter the traffic pattern where groundspeed will be the greatest.

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Riding the Mountain Waves

Plane and Pilot

FAA weather charts can help for higher altitudes but when just a few thousand feet agl, they may be less useful. Using my 80-knot tailwind and a stationary wave, my groundspeed and therefore penetration speed through the wave would be 160 knots faster than an upwind approach and theoretically more turbulent. We didn’t test it.

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FAA Updates Datalink Weather Advisory Circular

iPad Pilot News

The AC states limited coverage below 5,000′ AGL, but in our experience you should start getting reception within 1,000′ AGL in all but the most remote or mountainous regions. For example, ground-based systems that require a line of sight may have relatively limited coverage below 5,000 feet above ground level (AGL).

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