airport and thus arrive by other than the
standard entry to the downwind leg, so
leave no part of the sky unchecked. What’s
more, pilots flying IFR may not switch to
the local common traffic advisory frequency (CTAF) and announce their
position or intentions as promptly as we
would expect.
Spotting traffic in the pattern is not as
easy as it looks. Hazy conditions or low
sun angles can make it difficult to see traffic, even when it’s on short final. Landing
lights and strobes can enhance visibility,
but not all pilots use such tools to become
visible. Look and listen!
Not all pilots choose to use the same
runway. Even if the winds are favoring one
runway, the pilot of a larger aircraft may
choose another due to runway length or
other factors. Never assume that the
“active” runway is the only one in use.
MONITORING THE ROLL
When pilots fail to properly monitor their
acceleration on the takeoff roll, the result
can be a hair-raising or even deadly situation. Our preflight planning should include
calculating our takeoff roll based on the aircraft weight and the prevailing conditions.
One rule of thumb is to abort takeoff if the
aircraft does not achieve 70 percent of flying
speed before reaching the midpoint of the
runway. While such a gauge might be useful
when making touch and goes on a short runway, it lacks the precision needed for
detecting problems on the initial takeoff roll.
Once the takeoff roll is initiated, ver-
ify that the aircraft is performing
(accelerating) as predicted. If the pilot’s
operating handbook indicates a takeoff
ground roll of 600 feet, and we’ve already
used 1,000 without reaching rotation
speed, it’s time to change departure
plans. Runway markings such as center-
line stripes and fixed distance markers,
as well as intersections with taxiways
and other runways, can help us measure
the distance we’ve traveled, so pay atten-
tion to these during the roll.
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