The Comair crash reminds me...

"Dudley Henriques" writes:
It can happen and has happened and will happen again as long as pilots don't
remember to physically check the runway heading by glancing at the DG or
HSI, or even the magnetic compass EVERY time they line up for takeoff. This
should be an automatic reflex action for a pilot, especially at busy
airports where runways are 30 degrees or less apart in direction.

All of my training so far has been at an airport with only one runway
(KPAO). Thank you for pointing this out -- checking the runway
direction has not been on my checklist before now...

Chris

This is just one of those "little extras" that every pilot should include in
that last second look around the pit before opening the throttle. With me; I
always made it a point to hestiate for a few seconds for a line up re-check.
Dudley Henriques

"Christopher Brian Colohan" wrote in message
.. .
"Dudley Henriques" writes:
It can happen and has happened and will happen again as long as pilots
don't
remember to physically check the runway heading by glancing at the DG or
HSI, or even the magnetic compass EVERY time they line up for takeoff.
This
should be an automatic reflex action for a pilot, especially at busy
airports where runways are 30 degrees or less apart in direction.

All of my training so far has been at an airport with only one runway
(KPAO). Thank you for pointing this out -- checking the runway
direction has not been on my checklist before now...

Chris

This is just one of those "little extras" that every pilot should include in
that last second look around the pit before opening the throttle. With me; I
always made it a point to hestiate for a few seconds for a line up re-check.

Yep... lights, camera, action, where the action - check dg / line it
up with runway numbers. Before now, I'll admit, all I did was reset the
dg to the runway heading, but from now on, I'll be paying much closer
attention to the variance. Too much means something ain't right.

--
Guy

Guy Elden Jr wrote:

all I did was reset the dg to the runway heading,

Guy, I am curious about this. I have flown with other pilots who reset the
DG to the runway heading, but when I question them about this, they admit
to setting the DG to the runway number (with the trailing zero, of course).
As you most likely know, the runway number (with trailing zero) can be off
from the actual heading by as much as 10 degrees.

This leads me to my question: How do you easily discover the actual runway
heading at an unfamiliar airport? Do you, after deciding on the runway you
would use once you start the aircraft, pull out instrument charts or
airport diagrams and write down the runway heading?

I am curious how others integrate this into their post-start, pre-taxi or
pre-takeoff checklists.



--
Peter

Peter R. wrote:

Guy Elden Jr wrote:


all I did was reset the dg to the runway heading,


Guy, I am curious about this. I have flown with other pilots who reset the
DG to the runway heading, but when I question them about this, they admit
to setting the DG to the runway number (with the trailing zero, of course).
As you most likely know, the runway number (with trailing zero) can be off
from the actual heading by as much as 10 degrees.

This leads me to my question: How do you easily discover the actual runway
heading at an unfamiliar airport? Do you, after deciding on the runway you
would use once you start the aircraft, pull out instrument charts or
airport diagrams and write down the runway heading?

I am curious how others integrate this into their post-start, pre-taxi or
pre-takeoff checklists.

I don't care what the actual runway azimuth is. I care that my DG is
set to my compass and that both agree within reason to the runway I'm
on. I'm curious: why do you care what it is?

Matt

Actual runway details are on the instrument approach charts,
including direction to the degree and elevation and slope.

Set the HI to the compass as per the correction card if you
don't have a slaved compass system. In any case, set the
heading bug to the straight ahead position when aligned with
the runway, that way the FD or just a plain HI will fly
runway heading.


"Peter R." wrote in message
...
| Guy Elden Jr wrote:
|
| all I did was reset the dg to the runway heading,
|
| Guy, I am curious about this. I have flown with other
pilots who reset the
| DG to the runway heading, but when I question them about
this, they admit
| to setting the DG to the runway number (with the trailing
zero, of course).
| As you most likely know, the runway number (with trailing
zero) can be off
| from the actual heading by as much as 10 degrees.
|
| This leads me to my question: How do you easily discover
the actual runway
| heading at an unfamiliar airport? Do you, after deciding
on the runway you
| would use once you start the aircraft, pull out instrument
charts or
| airport diagrams and write down the runway heading?
|
| I am curious how others integrate this into their
post-start, pre-taxi or
| pre-takeoff checklists.
|
|
|
| --
| Peter

Jim Macklin wrote:

Actual runway details are on the instrument approach charts,
including direction to the degree and elevation and slope.

Yep, I am aware of that. I was curious whether it is common for pilots to
pull out their instrument charts after learning of or deciding upon what
runway is in use/to use at an unfamiliar airport. It seems to me that with
the workload of pre-taxi, taxi, and pre-takeoff checklists, this item is
probably not a task many pilots perform. Or do they?

In my case I have a slaved HSI in my Bonanza, so I had been quickly
comparing the HSI heading to the runway number to see if it is within ten
or so degrees of the runway number as part of the "lights, camera, action"
taking-the-runway mnemonic.

--
Peter

The slaved compass is corrected so as many errors
(deviation) are corrected and variation is also corrected as
much as possible too, so the slaved compass may be reading
different from the whiskey compass unless you apply the
compass correction card FOR-Steer to get a more accurate
setting for the HI. But the whiskey compass is not supposed
to have any error greater than 10 on any heading. Often the
compass is swung with the electrical and radios running. It
seems that swinging the compass should be done with the
electrical system dead and the radios off, that is when I'd
want the most accurate magnetic compass.


"Peter R." wrote in message
...
| Jim Macklin wrote:
|
| Actual runway details are on the instrument approach
charts,
| including direction to the degree and elevation and
slope.
|
| Yep, I am aware of that. I was curious whether it is
common for pilots to
| pull out their instrument charts after learning of or
deciding upon what
| runway is in use/to use at an unfamiliar airport. It
seems to me that with
| the workload of pre-taxi, taxi, and pre-takeoff
checklists, this item is
| probably not a task many pilots perform. Or do they?
|
| In my case I have a slaved HSI in my Bonanza, so I had
been quickly
| comparing the HSI heading to the runway number to see if
it is within ten
| or so degrees of the runway number as part of the "lights,
camera, action"
| taking-the-runway mnemonic.
|
| --
| Peter

In article ,
"Peter R." wrote:

I was curious whether it is common for pilots to
pull out their instrument charts after learning of or deciding upon what
runway is in use/to use at an unfamiliar airport. It seems to me that with
the workload of pre-taxi, taxi, and pre-takeoff checklists, this item is
probably not a task many pilots perform. Or do they?

As part of my pre-departure IFR procedures, I was taught to set up the
panel and cockpit for an immediate instrument approach to return to the
departure airport.
That means have the approach plate out for approach to be used and
configure the second nav for the frequency of the navaid. Listen to
assure the identifier is audible and check that the indicator display is
appropriate.

"Peter R." wrote in message
...
Jim Macklin wrote:

Actual runway details are on the instrument approach charts,
including direction to the degree and elevation and slope.

Yep, I am aware of that. I was curious whether it is common for pilots to
pull out their instrument charts after learning of or deciding upon what
runway is in use/to use at an unfamiliar airport. It seems to me that
with
the workload of pre-taxi, taxi, and pre-takeoff checklists, this item is
probably not a task many pilots perform. Or do they?

They do if they're smart.


In my case I have a slaved HSI in my Bonanza, so I had been quickly
comparing the HSI heading to the runway number to see if it is within ten
or so degrees of the runway number as part of the "lights, camera, action"
taking-the-runway mnemonic.

Likewise. It's the first task when rolling onto the RW.