PIREP: FAA Safety / NACO - Chart Seminar <Longish>

Hi All,

One of the first things I did after passing my checkride was to sign up at
faasafety.gov so I could get notices about safety and information seminars
held in my area. I also wanted to be able to take advantage of the "Wings"
program.

I attended one such gathering yesterday dealing with the whys and whats of
aeronautical charts.

If this presentation comes to your area...don't walk, RUN to register and
attend. It was extremely informative, gave great insight into the chart
makers art (and I'm now convinced that it IS an art...) and was, believe it
or not, highly entertaining as well.

They got such a good response they added a 4pm session in advance of the
orginal 7pm session. Now I know why it was so popular.

Mr. Richard Neher from NACO was the presenter and his enthusiasm and love of
what he does (he is THE guy responsible for what goes on charts) really came
across and made the 2.5 hour seminar go by in a blink.

I won't go into all the details, but here's how I interpret the key points
he was trying to get across (as it applies to VFR flight...):

1) Take full advantage of the topography and learn to see a chart in "3D."
- Don't just look at it like a Rand-McNally roadmap
- Try to actually see valleys and hills...not just contour lines and
colors.
- Especially try to visualize airspace outlines as "cakes, castles and
walls."

2) Try flying common trips at un-common altitudes to broaden your veiw of
the world
- He spoke of pilots flying at "comfort altitudes" where the close in
details can be seen but they lose sight of the big picutre around them.
- Interesting point: Sectional Charts are constructed with the idea
that landmarks should be easily identified from as high as 9000' and if you
are crawling around at low levels, it's easier to get lost because
your cone of focus is too small. I got the impression that what he meant
was that navigation was easier if you are looking more DOWN on an area and
less ACROSS an area.

3) Don't myopically follow your course line...fly in space, not in a line.
- Expanding on the points above, he was of the opinion that some pilots
could become even more "overfocused" by trying to follow their course line
like it was a laser beam. Try to fly (while maintaining proper
heading...) within the total environment and not a thin pencil line.

This morning, I made the effort to "broaden my field of view" on a
relatively short XC flight up to Prescott, AZ and back and I think his
points are valid.

Rather than just focus on following I-17 below me, I tried to be more aware
of the landscape as it changed around me. From suburban sprawl at
departure, past the mountains, seeing cactus give way to pine trees leading
me to the Prescott Valley and my destination airport. Working backwards on
the return trip, I was much more aware of my proximity to Phoenix because I
was able to see more clearly where civilization started on the north end of
town.

Some other random seminar points, in no particular order:

- NACO started in 1926
- Always fly with current charts and publications - things can change with
alarming rapidity...especially in growth areas like Phoenix.
- City hardest to keep up with in terms of ongoing changes = Las Vegas
- Buy and use "The Ugly Green Book" = A/FD
- Closed airports are left on charts, not for emergencies, but for their
navigational value.
- Two key things drive chart changes:
Data Changes: Runway Numbers, Frequencies, etc..._
Format Changes: Relating to the way in which charts are created,
edited and produced)
- TFRs are not a new thing
- TFRs began being used in the late 1940s to protect people, places and
things
- There are actually 8 different kinds of TFRs
- The TSA/OHS are today totally "driving the bus" in regards to TFRs
- The NSA is also a player in creating TFRs
- TFRs are a VFR pilot's problem ... "no one ever got dinged for busting a
TFR while flying IFR"

Great quote about charts:

"Read me carefully, follow me closely, doubt me not. I am the earth in the
palm of your hand. Without me, you are alone and lost."
- Beryl Markham, 1936

- For the last 30 minutes or so, Mr Neher does a presentation on IFR and
what changes are coming as it relates to GPS. WAAS and all the other nifty
letter sets that the IFR gang get to play with.

Like I said, don't walk, RUN to this seminar if you get an opportunity.
IMO, you won't regret the time spent in attendance. It's good..and good for
you, too!!

Humbly submitted,

Jay Beckman
Chandler, AZ
PP-ASEL
Still nowhere to go but up!

Jay: I couldn't agree more. I attended that seminar several months ago here
in New England

Bob Barker N8749S

"Jay Beckman" <jnsbeckman@cox.net> wrote in message
news:LYwkd.43000$SW3.18507@fed1read01...
> Hi All,
>
> One of the first things I did after passing my checkride was to sign up at
> faasafety.gov so I could get notices about safety and information seminars
> held in my area. I also wanted to be able to take advantage of the
> "Wings" program.
>
> I attended one such gathering yesterday dealing with the whys and whats of
> aeronautical charts.
>
> If this presentation comes to your area...don't walk, RUN to register and
> attend. It was extremely informative, gave great insight into the chart
> makers art (and I'm now convinced that it IS an art...) and was, believe
> it or not, highly entertaining as well.
>
> They got such a good response they added a 4pm session in advance of the
> orginal 7pm session. Now I know why it was so popular.
>
> Mr. Richard Neher from NACO was the presenter and his enthusiasm and love
> of what he does (he is THE guy responsible for what goes on charts) really
> came across and made the 2.5 hour seminar go by in a blink.
>
> I won't go into all the details, but here's how I interpret the key points
> he was trying to get across (as it applies to VFR flight...):
>
> 1) Take full advantage of the topography and learn to see a chart in "3D."
> - Don't just look at it like a Rand-McNally roadmap
> - Try to actually see valleys and hills...not just contour lines and
> colors.
> - Especially try to visualize airspace outlines as "cakes, castles and
> walls."
>
> 2) Try flying common trips at un-common altitudes to broaden your veiw of
> the world
> - He spoke of pilots flying at "comfort altitudes" where the close in
> details can be seen but they lose sight of the big picutre around them.
> - Interesting point: Sectional Charts are constructed with the idea
> that landmarks should be easily identified from as high as 9000' and if
> you are crawling around at low levels, it's easier to get lost because
> your cone of focus is too small. I got the impression that what he meant
> was that navigation was easier if you are looking more DOWN on an area and
> less ACROSS an area.
>
> 3) Don't myopically follow your course line...fly in space, not in a line.
> - Expanding on the points above, he was of the opinion that some pilots
> could become even more "overfocused" by trying to follow their course line
> like it was a laser beam. Try to fly (while maintaining
> proper heading...) within the total environment and not a thin pencil
> line.
>
> This morning, I made the effort to "broaden my field of view" on a
> relatively short XC flight up to Prescott, AZ and back and I think his
> points are valid.
>
> Rather than just focus on following I-17 below me, I tried to be more
> aware of the landscape as it changed around me. From suburban sprawl at
> departure, past the mountains, seeing cactus give way to pine trees
> leading me to the Prescott Valley and my destination airport. Working
> backwards on the return trip, I was much more aware of my proximity to
> Phoenix because I was able to see more clearly where civilization started
> on the north end of town.
>
> Some other random seminar points, in no particular order:
>
> - NACO started in 1926
> - Always fly with current charts and publications - things can change with
> alarming rapidity...especially in growth areas like Phoenix.
> - City hardest to keep up with in terms of ongoing changes = Las Vegas
> - Buy and use "The Ugly Green Book" = A/FD
> - Closed airports are left on charts, not for emergencies, but for their
> navigational value.
> - Two key things drive chart changes:
> Data Changes: Runway Numbers, Frequencies, etc..._
> Format Changes: Relating to the way in which charts are created,
> edited and produced)
> - TFRs are not a new thing
> - TFRs began being used in the late 1940s to protect people, places and
> things
> - There are actually 8 different kinds of TFRs
> - The TSA/OHS are today totally "driving the bus" in regards to TFRs
> - The NSA is also a player in creating TFRs
> - TFRs are a VFR pilot's problem ... "no one ever got dinged for busting a
> TFR while flying IFR"
>
> Great quote about charts:
>
> "Read me carefully, follow me closely, doubt me not. I am the earth in
> the palm of your hand. Without me, you are alone and lost."
> - Beryl Markham, 1936
>
> - For the last 30 minutes or so, Mr Neher does a presentation on IFR and
> what changes are coming as it relates to GPS. WAAS and all the other nifty
> letter sets that the IFR gang get to play with.
>
> Like I said, don't walk, RUN to this seminar if you get an opportunity.
> IMO, you won't regret the time spent in attendance. It's good..and good
> for you, too!!
>
> Humbly submitted,
>
> Jay Beckman
> Chandler, AZ
> PP-ASEL
> Still nowhere to go but up!
>

"Jay Beckman" <jnsbeckman@cox.net> wrote in message news:<LYwkd.43000$SW3.18507@fed1read01>...
<snip>
> 1) Take full advantage of the topography and learn to see a chart in "3D."
> - Don't just look at it like a Rand-McNally roadmap
> - Try to actually see valleys and hills...not just contour lines and
> colors.

Jay,

That's what pilotage is all about! With so much focus on
electronic navigation in training, this form of navigation doesn't
seem to get the attention that it deserves. As you've found, there
is a wealth of info on that sectional chart, if you look at it the
right way.

I fly almost all of my trips using pilotage and it can be just as
accurate as following a GPS pointer if you do it right. For mountain
flying, being able to visualize the landscape by the contours on the
map can be the difference between getting to where you want to go, or
getting trapped in a box canyon.

Great post!

John Galban=====>N4BQ (PA28-180)