Readback – January 2024

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Save Those Recordings

I watched a YouTube vid the other day where an obviously concerned CFI, after thanking the controller for all their support and all they do, still asked that the controller “Please mark the tapes.” The obviously task saturated and presumably annoyed controller replied with words something like, “Sir, this is the 21st Century. There are no tapes!” this brings up a few questions.

1) In the good old days, did they really “mark” the tapes, maybe with tape and magic marker, or was there a button the controller could push to time-stamp or otherwise save the recording?

2) These days, can a controller somehow flag the digital recording? Or, is it more to the point to be sure the recordings are saved?

3) What phrase should you use if you think it is big enough deal to access a recording for later access?

—Brian Wamsley, Coroando, California

Good questions, Brian. Thanks. This has seeded an article on the topic, although it’s months away. For now, though, the simple answer is that, yes, everything is now digital with no physical tapes. The recordings can be accessed by time, so simply note the time.

This is what one of our resident controllers had to say in direct response to your inquiry:

Everything is recorded on the frequencies and even on interfacility / intrafacility coordination lines. Those recordings are preserved for a pretty long time, though there is an expiration date. The exact length of time that the recordings are retained is not common knowledge.

All a pilot should do on frequency is ask for a phone number to call for further discussion about the matter. On frequency, don’t get into a debate or even a discussion about the matter at hand. Save all that for the subsequent phone call.

Once they call that number, they will likely be speaking directly to a supervisor, and they can go through the scenario and discuss it then. If it’s a matter of rule interpretation, always come to the table with the mindset of learning and development. If it’s about professionalism, be sure to employ your most professional attitudes to voice any issues about how a particular situation was handled.

The supervisor has access to recordings through a program called Falcon that is used throughout the agency to retrieve that information. At least that’s the program that ARTCCs use. It’s possible that terminal facilities (towers and TRACONs) have something different to interface with. Either way they have access to the history, including radar, if there is radar. Thus, a scenario can be precisely replayed with radio and radar information in synchronization.

We hope that helps, Brian. And thanks again for the question.

Custom Home Sim

Your recent series of articles on the difficulties of maintaining both IFR proficiency and IFR currency in the simulators that are currently available on the market has been particularly illuminating to me. The main reason for this is that I have access to an FAA approved simulator that I use to maintain IFR legal currency when I am not flying much IMC. But this simulator’s panel is not at all panel similar to the panel in my aircraft. So, as you’ve pointed out repeatedly, it does not maintain my proficiency for real IFR flying to the extent I would like it to.

As a result, I elected to have a custom simulator built by RealSimGear (RSG) in San Diego that closely approximates the panel in my aircraft, which has a Garmin G5 AI, a Garmin G5 HSI, a Garmin GTN 750 navigator, a Garmin GTN 650 navigator, a Garmin GFC 500 autopilot, and the usual other primary and secondary round-dial instruments.

Photo: Terry Turner

I’ve included a photo of the custom simulator I acquired from RSG, which I have installed in my hangar, where I can fly it whenever I feel the need for some buttonology proficiency.

The quality of the instruments in my RSG simulator is extraordinary. For example, the RSG GTN 750 and GTN 650 both exhibit touch and switch control qualities similar to those found in actual Garmin GTN 750s and GTN 650s, and the RSG GFC 500 autopilot flies precision approaches that closely match the quality of those flown by the Garmin GFC 500 autopilot in my aircraft.

The quality of RSG’s customer service has also been extraordinary. In most cases a RSG technical service representative responds to my inquiries within 24 hours. Such representatives have remotely solved all of the many significant issues I had in setting up and initially operating my simulator. I could not be more pleased with RealSimGear and I highly recommend them to anyone who finds himself or herself in a similar situation.

I am still in the process of learning how to operate some of the finer features of my RSG simulator. But I can already see that it is definitely better at improving my IFR proficiency than the dissimilar FAA-approved simulator I have been using to maintain IFR currency—which confirms the simulator currency vd. proficiency dilemma pointed out in your recent articles.

RSG also sells FAA-approved sims with Garmin G1000s that can be used to log both IFR currency and maintain IFR proficiency for those pilots who have G1000 panels in their actual aircraft. However, because I do not have a G1000 panel in my aircraft, I have come down on the side of those who emphasize IFR proficiency over IFR currency when acquiring a simulator.

Thank you for your articles that helped me reach this choice.

—Terry Turner, Anchorage, Alaska

Terry, it’s nice to have an opinion validated. While we feel strongly about the advice we give on one-size-fits-none certified simulators versus a custom-built simulator that mimics one’s own instrument panel, not everyone agrees.

The market offers a variety of FAA-approved simulators for under $10,000 with which you can log approaches for legal currency. But we still feel strongly that with today’s TAA, those simulators are so generic and so basic that they might even offer a disservice to pilots wishing to maintain proficiency on all their fancy retrofit avionics.

Terry, when you first approached us looking for someone to custom build a simulator to your specifications, we looked around but came up empty. We’re pleased you found a source. In fact, we were not aware that RealSimGear had begun to offer that service, which we will now recommend.

Having dealt with RSG ourselves, like you, we can recommend them for quality products and support.

Why Stay Proficient?

I’m instrument rated and fly around 70 hours a year in my six-pack 182. I file IFR for my cross-country flying, but I avoid low ceilings and IMC by choosing when to fly. I do use my rating a lot to take off into an overcast deck, pop out to sunshine in a couple 1000 feet, and fly in VMC all the way home. Rarely do I need a procedure to land as my adjustment to avoid that weather usually works. On the rare occasions when needed, I will fly an approach.

My question is related to currency and proficiency. If I’m able to fly like this, why do I need the same currency and proficiency as someone who is landing in low IMC all the time?

—Monty Offutt, Madison, Alabama

Monty, note that if you file IFR you must be legally current. The weather is irrelevant. Beyond that, one reason to maintain proficiency to the level of your certificate is pride. When you passed your instrument checkride you probably took great pride in that accomplishment. Seems a shame to later cast that aside in favor of less proficiency.

Next, if you foresee yourself flying an approach in less-than-VMC, doesn’t safety and lowering risk demand that you be as competent as possible? Or, looking at it a bit differently, if you conceivably could find yourself occasionally flying an approach to, say, 700/1, wouldn’t you feel more comfortable and safer if you’d been practicing to 200 and a half, thus more likely to have a relaxed approach instead of a sphincter-tightening one?

What would happen if you had to return to the fogged-in departure airport? Say a door popped open or some other non-emergency? With the added stress of that abnormal situation, wouldn’t you be better off if you were practiced in flying approaches to minimums?

Then there’s utility. You spend a lot of money to own and maintain your aircraft. Perhaps flying on what I like to call benign IMC days gives you more return on your expenditures.

My recommendation is to continue to plan your trips for VMC or good IMC if that’s what makes you comfortable. But, be proficient flying an approach that you hope you’ll not need, but know you can fly well based on maintaining proficiency to lower weather than planned.

Oh, and don’t knock the six pack. For decades even average pilots flew those instruments to 200 and a half. The new stuff doesn’t do anything you can’t do with what you have. It just increases your situational awareness and makes things somewhat easier.

—Frank Bowlin

We read ’em all and try to answer most e-mail, but it can take a month or more. Please be sure to include your full name and location. Contact us at [email protected].

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