U.S. Department

of Transportation

Federal Aviation Administration

Rodney E. Slater, Secretary of Transportation
Jane F. Garvey, FAA Administrator

Thomas E. McSweeny, Associate Administrator

for Regulation and Certification

L. Nicholas Lacey, Director,
Flight Standards Service

Michael L. Henry, Manager,

General Aviation and Commercial Division

Phyllis Anne Duncan, Editor

Louise C. Oertly, Senior Associate Editor
H. Dean Chamberlain, Forum Editor

A. Mario Toscano, Associate Editor/Designer

The FAA's Flight Standards Service, General Aviation and Commercial Division, Publications Staff, AFS-805, Washington, DC 20591; telephone (202) 267-8212, FAX (202) 267-9463; publishes FAA AVIATION NEWS in the interest of flight safety. The magazine promotes aviation safety by calling the attention of airmen to current technical, regulatory, and procedural matters affecting the safe operation of aircraft. Although based on current FAA policy and rule interpretations, all printed material herein is advisory or informational in nature and should not be construed to have regulatory effect. The FAA does not officially endorse any goods, services, materials, or products of manufacturers that may be mentioned. Certain details of accidents described herein may have been altered to protect the privacy of those involved.

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arrival and departure procedures for aircraft flying to and in the Lakeland area from April 7 through 15. Note the special procedures start two days before Sun 'n Fun's opening day on April 9.

FAA SUN 'N FUN NOTAM, VIDEO, AND FREQUENCY CARD

In addition to the NOTAM, the FAA's Office of System Safety has produced a Sun 'n Fun 2000 VFR Flight Procedures videotape and Quick Reference Booklet for Use in Flight which highlights the procedures outlined in the NOTAM. For a copy of the NOTAM, booklet, and videotape you can call (863) 644-2431. You can also check the following Internet Web Site for information at <www.asy. faa.gov>, <www.faa.fsdo.orl>, or <www.sun-n-fun.org> for Sun 'n Fun 2000 information. All these sites will carry the special NOTAM information as soon as it is available.

Even if you have flown to Sun 'n Fun in the past, you will still need to review the 2000 NOTAM for any changes. You also need to check the list of radio frequencies for any changes.

If you have never flown to Sun 'n Fun, you especially need to get a copy of the NOTAM and study it in detail. You should also try to review a copy of the video. If you are a first time flight arrival, finding yourself number 10 in trail to enter the traffic pattern is not the time to wonder what is going to happen next. Plus you need to study the various special arrival patterns used during the event. Pilots are reminded to always fly in trail as directed. There is no side-byside separation.

Although the arrival and departure procedures are not complicated, they do need to be understood very well. The procedures are designed to move hundreds of aircraft safely, quickly, and predictably in and out of Lakeland by having both pilots and controllers follow the same published procedures. Knowing and following the published. procedures are especially important in the case of an emergency at Lakeland or one of the outlying airports. VFR

traffic can expect to possibly land on what is normally a taxiway.

Another important operational procedure is the limited use of radio communications to control aircraft landing or departing Lakeland. The NOTAM outlines when pilots should communicate and when they should just monitor their radios. Strict compliance with the published communication procedures will avoid any unnecessary frequency congestion while speeding up the landing or departure process. Pilots just have to remember their aircraft type and color. While monitoring the appropriate frequency, you might hear something like this, "Blue and White Space Cruiser, rock your wings for identification. Now, follow the aircraft in front of you to the airport." The fact you may be number 2,000 in trail should not intimidate you. You just need to be prepared to fly in an organized gaggle of aircraft to the airport where two or three aircraft may be landing on the same runway. All of this may be done without the pilots talking to air traffic control (ATC).

Pilots need to be alert for radio, red smoke, or hand signals from red-shirted air traffic controllers located near the approach end of the runway in use for a possible waveoff signal. Landing pilots need to clear the runway as soon as possible onto a hard surface. This need to expedite traffic is why everyone. needs to review the operating procedures outlined in the NOTAM.

Pilots also need to review the NOTAM section about making after touchdown cockpit signs to expedite routes to parking.

But every pilot should contact ATC immediately if there is any question of safety of flight or in case of an emergency.

Pilots should also remember some of the aircraft flying to and from Lakeland don't have radios. The NOTAM outlines the procedure for no-radio aircraft operations.

The NOTAM also has special sections for both IFR and VFR aircraft.

VFR pilots should pay particular attention to the airspace information given because of the proximity of the

Tampa and Orlando Class B airspaces. Like in past years, special procedures will permit aircraft without a transponder to fly in designated areas of the Tampa and Orlando Mode C Veils. The NOTAM has the details.

WAYS TO MINIMIZE RISK OF MIDAIR COLLISION

All pilots need to pay attention to other traffic as they approach the Lakeland area. Since there is such a performance mix among the thousands of different types of aircraft flying to, through, or in the Lakeland area during this period, there is an increased chance of a mid-air collision risk. One way to reduce that risk is to fly with your landing lights and beacon or strobe lights on within 30 miles or so of Lakeland. If you are flying on an airway, you might want to extend that lights-on distance. Pilots need to be alert for traffic from any direction as they approach Lakeland. You should also monitor the appropriate ATC frequencies listed in the NOTAM when flying within the central Florida area. Everyone should use the appropriate altitude for your direction and type of flight, IFR or VFR.

Pilots should keep their heads out of the cockpit as much as possible while operating near Lakeland. The Lakeland area during Sun 'N Fun is not the place to learn how to program your new GPS super receiver. The life you save might be your own.

Pilots should expect the unexpected because some pilots will fail to read the NOTAM, some will forget what they have read, and some will simply do something dumb. The key to your flight safety is to keep your eyes open and be prepared to react to the unexpected.

ELT MONITORING EN ROUTE

Pilots flying to and from Lakeland should periodically monitor 121.5 MHz on their radio en route to check for any activated emergency locator transmitters (ELT) that might be reporting an aircraft accident. If you detect an ELT signal, contact the appropriate air traf