Sport Pilot Talk

Quick question, when calling the weather briefer, I always notice that they ask me for the N-Number of the plane I'm going to fly on a given day. What would happen if I don't know the N-Number but know the aircraft make and model? Can I substitute the make and model for the N-Number?

My school has several 152s, and since I use the 152 for training (till the 162 gets fixed), I don't know what particular 152 I'm going to fly in.

I believe it's not possible to update a plan record. You'll have to do the dance all new on the day you know the airplane. I never had the trouble with it, because I file right before the flight, and open at once. At that point I already have the aircraft dispatched.

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http://zaitcev.mee.nu/

They will give you a briefing without a tail number. It's best to give them one because it covers your ass that you got the briefing.

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PP-ASEL, Flight Design CTSW owner.

Thanks Jim, that's the answer I was looking for. Next time I schedule a lesson in the 152, I maybe would ask which 152 by tail number.

I've been asked my name and pilot cert # when I didn't know the tail #. That still lets ntsb that you at least made a call preflight?

You're not required to identify a specific aircraft when you're getting a wx briefing, though of course you need one when filing a flight plan. The latter can be done the day of the flight, once you know which aircraft you're flying. The former can start (with an outlook briefing) the day before the flight, and be updated as many times as necessary. Pilot's name is sufficient. You don't even need to give your pilot certificate number to get a wx briefing (though I don't see why that would hurt).

If you're new to all this, be sure to play the "student pilot" trump card when you call FSS. The briefer will usually slow down for you, and explain things more thoroughly. They are all pilots, after all, and many of them are CFIs.

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The opinions expressed in this post are those of one CFI, and do not necessarily represent the position of the FAA or its lawyers.
Prof. H. Paul Shuch, Ph.D., CFII, LSRM-A/GL/WS
AvSport of Lock Haven
http://AvSport.org fly@AvSport.org

I can't think of the last time I called AFSS. I tend to use DUAT to get what I need. I tend to trust myself more in reading weather charts than I do some guy who might be a 1000 miles away.

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KSCessnaDriver (ATP MEL, Commerical LTA-Airship/SEL, Private SES, CFI/CFII)
LSA's flown: Remos G3, Flight Design CTSW, Aeronca L-16, Jabiru J170

I have never heard this before. Do you have a reference you can send me to? I guess next time I call I'll ask.

For much of my flying, the main reason I call FSS is for TFR's.

Anecdotal evidence only, but since FAA issued the FSS contract to Lockheed Martin, there has been a definite improvement in services. I observe that the LockMart employees are much more patient, and polite, than the gov't employees tended to be under the old regime. My guess is that the FSS specialists are really concerned about making sure their contract is renewed, whereas there was no such issue when FAA staffed the facilities. In any case, the briefers my students have been talking to for the past three years or so tend to be more aviation-knowledgeable, and many of them are indeed CFIs.

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The opinions expressed in this post are those of one CFI, and do not necessarily represent the position of the FAA or its lawyers.
Prof. H. Paul Shuch, Ph.D., CFII, LSRM-A/GL/WS
AvSport of Lock Haven
http://AvSport.org fly@AvSport.org

Perhaps this is a bit of thread drift...but KS CD is calling our attention to some points that student pilots probably don't appreciate yet (or at least I sure didn't).

Getting a wx brief isn't about 'checking a box' but rather developing an appreciation not just for the weather dynamics but for many aspects of a flight (NOTAMs being another key component) and how they interact with one another. This can be done in either of two fundamental ways: either you attempt to collect the info as the briefer gives it to you and then study its significance afterwords, or you review the on-line brief at your own pace and absorb its significance as you work your way thru it. The latter approach may better suit most inexperienced pilots because the brief happens at a self-directed pace. But perhaps more importantly, the two are not mutually exclusive. If I'm doing a brief for a flight I consider significant (e.g. a longer flight across a changing wx system), I will sometimes first review the downloaded brief (DUATS direct or via Foreflight - same info) and then follow up with a briefer (e.g. bounce my view of the wx off him/her since it may not be completely consistent with the TAFs I'm seeing in the brief).

Sometimes briefs are very straightforward because the wx is stable and the flight plan is straightforward. Other times, even a relatively simple flight requires an extensive brief. (I've got one of those coming up Saturday: a short 120 NM flight we've made multiple times before, but in an unstable Florida coastal wx system that's been persistently frustrating this week). That's when doing a self-paced brief on-line is especially helpful, at least for me.

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Jack
RAF Florida State Liaison
Please visit www.theraf.org