Warm Up For Winter Operations

When the first measurable snowfall comes, I avoid driving that first day to keep out of the way of the drivers that have let their winter driving knowledge and skills atrophy over the summer. That first day in the mountains of Colorado was August 16^th and will spread to lower elevations and northern latitudes in the coming weeks.

If history repeats itself this winter, there will be 2 or 3 runway excursions on contaminated runways during the first major snow and ice storm that works its way across the Midwest and Northeast. With the colder temperatures and snow on the way, it's never too early to start planning for the winter operation season.

Whether you are looking to comply with the IS-BAO training requirement for Surface Contamination or simply to refresh your cold weather flying knowledge, Advanced Aircrew Academy can train your team with our newly updated Winter Operations / Surface Contamination eLearning module. We know hazards of winter operations include lower ceilings and visibility, reduced braking action due to ice and snow, extreme cold temperatures that can affect aircraft engines and systems, and airframe icing.

With this in mind, the FAA just released the Winter 2022-2023 Holdover Time Guidelines to be used in conjunction with the FAA N 8900 series notice "Revised FAA-Approved Deicing Program Updates, Winter 2022-2023." In the Holdover Time Guidelines, you will see a few notable changes to make the document more user friendly. For example, it is now divided into additional sections with short flysheets at the beginning of each which lists all applicable cautions. There is additional guidance in the "Main Document Structure and Content" which describes the purpose of the notes and where to find particular cautions and allowance timetables. In the Supplemental Guidance section, the Snowfall Intensities as a Function of Prevailing Visibility table is now reformatted with updated values based on current trends and synchronization efforts between the FAA and Transport Canada, which is a great thing.

Weather continues to play a significant role in the number of aviation accidents and incidents worldwide. While there are a variety of reasons for these errors, most often including human error, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) lists weather as a primary contributing factor in 23 percent of all aviation accidents. Since we know that winter weather is on the way, now is the perfect time to prepare for safer aviation operations on those cold, dreary, and challenging days.

With a wide variety of changes in this year's publications to assist, it is always recommended that pilots research the latest material and update operating procedures; however, this responsibility need not be accomplished in a vacuum or without individualized assistance and expertise. Advanced Aircrew Academy stays abreast of current guidance and incorporates this into our material on an ongoing basis. Our training not only satisfies the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) training recommendation, but it also includes braking action reports, cold temperature altitude corrections, updated Holdover Time Tables, Cold Temperature Restricted Airports, new case studies, icing/deicing procedures, and even a module available to educate flight/cabin attendants on current aircraft surface contamination dangers.

To take advantage of this training and give your organization a head start towards winter preparation, visit us here.