Non-pilot tutorial/FAQ for rescue organizers

[ccameron]

All,

As a newbie, I'm quickly learning that there are many organizations/rescuers/transport coordinators who are new to PNP and perhaps don't have the necessary knowledge to make working with pilots easier. I know there is a link to "suggested guidelines for rescues requesting a flight", but this list needs to be expanded. I was wondering if any experienced PNP pilots or rescuers might help me in creating a FAQ for non-pilots to help them understand EVERYTHING and provide some necessary links to resources (such as airnav.com)?

As an example, many non-pilots don't know:
1. The difference between IFR/VFR
2. What airport identifiers are or where to find a site to "decode" them
3. How important it is to have weight/size of animals and the crates in which they may be transported

If anyone can help, please let me know. As a new PNP member with only one flight under my belt, I'm sure there is a lot more we need to share to make this as successful/fun as possible for everyone!

Thanks,

Craig
901-219-8830

[asdr,newengland]

Thank you. I gather you wrote this after speaking to me. I appreciate what all you pilots are doing but this coordinating is not easy especially for someone who does not know what all the codes mean.

Thanks again,
Heather

[Debi]

All,

As a newbie, I'm quickly learning that there are many organizations/rescuers/transport coordinators who are new to PNP and perhaps don't have the necessary knowledge to make working with pilots easier.
If anyone can help, please let me know. As a new PNP member with only one flight under my belt, I'm sure there is a lot more we need to share to make this as successful/fun as possible for everyone!
Thanks,
Craig
901-219-8830

Craig, this is an excellent idea and thank you for jumping in, starting the discussion, and offering to organize a questions and answers section. We have airnav.com and other similar sites listed. However, if a rescue person doesn't know the vernacular, then the terms listed at those sites are going to be useless to them. I have learned along the way what several appreviations stand for and am still learning. I am all for making this process easier for the rescue folks asking for help. What do you say pilots, can you get together with Craig and come up with a FAQ section?? I know Heather is frustrated and she isn't alone!

Thanks
Debi

[Jon]

Craig is correct and I am guilty.

To the non-pilots.....from time to time you need to slap us up side the head. Almost everything in aviation is in acronyms, abbreviations, or some sort of code. Instead of giving us weather in plain English, we get Metars (local current weather) and TAFs (a forecast for an airport) and it is a string of numbers and letters. Our flight plans are in blocks of numerals or letters and numerals. So as you can see we are programmed to speak in "pilot".

Here are a few of the common "codes" explained. VFR means visual flight rules. That is how a flight is conducted and for a pilot to fly under those rules certain weather minimums must be met, such as 3 miles visibility and at least a 1000 foot ceiling. A pilot that flies visually in those conditions however is pushing the limit and most will fly only when the weather is better than that.

IFR means instrument flight rules. With the exception of landing minimums which can be as low as 1/2 mile visibility and a 200 foot ceiling, a pilot flying under IFR conditions can be in conditions in which he has absolutely no visual references outside the plane and he must rely on his instruments.

Range is how far a pilot will or can fly. Endurance is similar, but is expressed in terms of time. I typically can fly a maximum range of 600 miles, depending on the direction and intensity of the winds aloft, but because of fuel available my endurance is 4 hours, at which point I must be on the ground to refuel. That is a personal limit, but the FAA also stipulates fuel requirements and they are abolute requirements.

Weight and balance is a phrase often written as W&B, and before each flight a pilot must do a weight and balance calculation to insure the plane is within its gross weight limits and the load is such that the plane is within its specific center of gravity (CG) range.

We as pilots have all sorts of obscure ways of talking. Public domestic airports all have identifiers. They can be a combination of letters and numbers such as TN20 which is Seymour Airpark a small grass runway near Sevierville TN, or KTYS which is McGee Tyson Airport, the large airport which serves Knoxville, TN.

We use GPS to navigate. That is now a means common to car navigation so that should be understandable, but we also use VORs and NDBs, which are ground based aids to navigation that we can track to or from using radios in our planes. Some planes have APs (autopilots), MFDs (multi function displays), and almost every plane has NavComs which are combination radios for both communications and navigation.

A plane that is KI equipped and certified has equipment to deal with airframe icing. Icing is for whiskey and the devices are to enable the pilot to have some time to extricate him or herself from icing conditions which are a bad thing. Some planes have a StormScope or a Strikefinder. These devices map lightning strikes. Some planes have radar. Radar maps precipitation and can be used to discern light rain from heavy rain. These devices can help keep a pilot from thunderstorms, more conditions which are bad things.

The list can go on, but the important thing to remember is if in doubt, ask. Remember, every pilot and every plane is different so even if you understand the lingo, we still may not all be on the same wavelength.

Now, for you rescues....we pilots also do not understand your code words and lingo sometimes. I hear words and phrases that I assume relate to illnesses or breed specific terms and I may need your help in sorting out the code.

[ccameron]

Jon,

Great thoughts! I'll start the process of completing a FAQ for non-pilots using a lot of your points and a few of my own. I also love your idea on the acronyms used by rescue persons! Heather, I meant no offense whatsoever and you are not the sole reason for my post. I have had contact with multiple people who I felt did not have a good grasp of pilot lingo/concerns. This is not a bad thing! It should be the pilots (myself) that ensure our rescue partners understand how we communicate and what factors are important to us during rescue missions.

All other pilots, I welcome your thoughts on this FAQ. As I said earlier in the post, I'm a new member and don't have the experience that you guys have with rescues. Help us out!

All non-pilot rescuers----What questions do you have for us? We need to be sure we are answering your questions as well!

Thanks,

Craig

[asdr,newengland]

Craig,

I did not take offense, I was thankful for what you had explained to me. As I said I had no idea what the codes meant and was getting very confused. I am happy that you all are going to put something together for us to refer back to when we are confused. I will be one of the first to print it out and keep near the computer. Also, please ask away with questions for the rescuers, we also will be more than happy to get something together for the pilots. Without cooperation from each other this could not take place.

Thank you for all for volunteering your time to get these animals to safety. Without you some of these animals may not have made it.

Heather

[ccameron]

All,

I'm nearly complete with the "non-pilot FAQ". What is the best way to share this information with folks? I'd love to have some non-pilots and pilots review and identify anything confusing or missing. Any takers? Open to all criticism and ideas!

Thanks,

Craig
901-219-8830

[Debi]

All,
I'm nearly complete with the "non-pilot FAQ". What is the best way to share this information with folks? I'd love to have some non-pilots and pilots review and identify anything confusing or missing. Any takers? Open to all criticism and ideas!
Thanks,
Craig
901-219-8830

Craig, I would be happy to read over your information. Just send it to me privately, castle_ridge@msn.com Once you have it tweaked to your satisfaction, you can post it as a global announcement which means it will go to the top of each section of the forum board. Or, you can post it specifically to the Animal Ride board as a sticky announcement rather then global. When you are ready to launch it, I would be happy to post it for you if you would like.

Thank you for taking the time to create this......rescue volunteers will be very appreciative!

Debi