Description: As safety-minded pilots we need to make conservative decisions for the best chance of a positive outcome. In this case study, we share lessons drawn from this pilot's unfortunate decisions during a vacuum pump failure in instrument meteorological conditions. Take this opportunity to boost your awareness of critical and proper decision making in an emergency.

Description: One of the great advances in general aviation in recent years has been the widespread availability of datalink weather. Like any technology, though, it can be used improperly. Come along as we examine a tragic accident that highlights an important and often-overlooked limitation of datalink radar.

Excerpt from video transcript:
It’s just before ten o’clock on the night of December 19, 2011. In a house near Bryan, Texas, the gentle patter of light rain is suddenly interrupted by a sound like an explosion—loud and violent—but not like thunder. Outside, in what has now become a deluge, the source of the noise soon becomes apparent. A short distance away—strung out and shattered into a dozen pieces, lie the barely recognizable remains of a light aircraft—it’s five occupants beyond help. Soon, emergency responders are on site documenting the scene, doing what has to be done. There’s one simple question on everyone’s mind: What went wrong? Watch the video to learn more!

Do you know what to say before keying the mic? The AOPA Air Safety Institute’s Safety Tip: Four Ws of Communication will help jog your mind. Whether you’re flying at a nontowered field or communicating with ATC, concise communication improves safety.

Some GA pilots believe that ATC are very busy and that they would be bothering them by talking to them.  In this video produced in partnership with NATCA and the FAA, Air traffic control specialist Sarah Patten debunks the notion that talking to flights squawking 1200 is an inconvenience for ATC.

Listening comprehension - plain English in an aeronautical context

Watch the video and then check your comprehension by comparing against the transcript hidden below.

Air traffic control specialist Sarah Patten gives practical advice for pilots who are worried ATC will speak too quickly for comprehension.

Ask ATC is produced in partnership with NATCA and the FAA.

Should I bother calling for flight following services if ATC is busy?

Flight following and airspace

IFR Practice Approaches

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Pilots often assume that all air traffic controllers have weather radar, but that’s not the case. In this Ask ATC segment, air traffic controllers Beverly Cook, Mel Davis, and AnnMarie Taggio share tips for how pilots can better communicate their knowledge of the weather ahead to help ATC find a safe solution.

To learn more, check out our Radio Communication and ATC safety spotlight at www.airsafetyinstitute.org/spotlight/radiocommandatc.

The AOPA Air Safety Institute’s Ask ATC video series was made possible by generous donations to the AOPA Foundation by the National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA).

Please visit the AOPA Foundation at www.aopafoundation.org/donate to learn how you can participate in funding future safety programs by the Air Safety Institute.

Watch the entire Ask ATC series at http://bit.ly/AskATCplaylist

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In this Ask ATC segment, air traffic controllers Leanne Martin and Matt Sullivan clarify the differences between VFR flight plans and flight following services to help pilots fly safely to their destination.

To learn more, check out our Flight Planning and Preflight safety spotlight at www.airsafetyinstitute.org/spotlight/planningandpreflight.

The AOPA Air Safety Institute’s Ask ATC video series was made possible by generous donations to the AOPA Foundation by the National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA).

Please visit the AOPA Foundation at www.aopafoundation.org/donate to learn how you can participate in funding future safety programs by the Air Safety Institute.

Watch the entire Ask ATC series at http://bit.ly/AskATCplaylist

In this Ask ATC segment, air traffic controller Leanne Martin talks about the importance of requesting flight following in advance before taxiing in order to help ATC process your request and provide the services you need in a timely manner.

To learn more, check out our Radio Communication and ATC safety spotlight at www.airsafetyinstitute.org/spotlight/radiocommandatc.

The AOPA Air Safety Institute’s Ask ATC video series was made possible by generous donations to the AOPA Foundation by the National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA).

Please visit the AOPA Foundation at www.aopafoundation.org/donate to learn how you can participate in funding future safety programs by the Air Safety Institute.

Watch the entire Ask ATC series at http://bit.ly/AskATCplaylist

Video transcript:
The best place to communicate with air traffic control your intentions is always on the ground when you’re not moving. That way we can get all of the specific information that we need. Then at that point in time, we as controllers can pass that information on. It does not help controllers for you to tell us information at the last second. When you’re on Ground Control or Clearance Delivery, and you let the controller know what you’d like to do, we write down all that information. That information is passed to the Local Controller. The Local Controller then knows which direction to turn you. From, after you depart, then that information is now passed to the Approach Controller, and the Approach Controller then will know what requested altitude you would like and what direction of flight that you’d like.

Audio source: www.liveatc.net

Datalink weather ranks as one of GA’s great technological advances. But clear information about datalink service options can be hard to find, and there’s sometimes confusion about the 2020 ADS-B mandate (which does not require pilots to use ADS-B In/FIS-B weather). This video takes a detailed look at the two providers—SiriusXM and ADS-B In/FIS-B—comparing modes of delivery, weather products, and other pros and cons to help pilots of all aircraft types decide which best fits their needs.

By bringing up-to-the-minute weather into the cockpit, datalink has increased the utility of our aircraft while making weather flying safer and easier. In this video, you’ll get a behind-the-scenes look at the “datalink revolution” as told by the people who made it happen.

Hear from a weather expert on the dangers of flight into "known icing" conditions and what you can do to escape those conditions with your life.

Early detection of ice accumulation is critical to the safe outcome of a flight—even for pilots flying in aircraft equipped with de-icing equipment. In this video, Tom Horne talks about what to look for, and where, to determine if your aircraft is starting to pick up ice.

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