Flight Plan Forms
If you have been using the old FAA domestic flight plan form and are having trouble converting to the ICAO format, here are some ideas:

• Go to www.1800wxbrief.com and register (free); click on the Flight Planning and Briefing tab, and select ICAO. Next to each slot where information is to be entered you will see a tiny magnifying glass; click on it and you will get a menu of choices.
• If you have been filing /G, put S, G in the ICAO equipment slot and C in the ICAP surveillance slot.
• If you have been filing /U, put S in the equipment slot and C is the surveillance slot.
• If have have been filing /A, put S. D in the equipment slot and C in the surveillance slot.
• The codes you provide in the equipment slot tell ATC what you are equipped for; they do not want to clear you via fixes you are not equipped to identify. If you do not know what a code means, you probably do not have the equipment.

Updates!
Be sure to check out the most current information available for FAA Knowledge Exams www.asa2fly.com/testupdate and FAA regulations and procedures www.asa2fly.com/farupdate

Aerodynamics
A very dated, but still valid, series of videos on aerodynamics The Secret of Flight can be accessed on YouTube at bit.ly/2Pcstp3.

NATCA (National Air Traffic Controllers Association)
The NATCA website is an excellent resource for communication information.
See the "Resources" tab at NATCA.org.

Graphical Forecast for Aviation
Made operational in April 2017, the Graphical Forecast for Aviation made the textual Area Forecast (FA) for the Continental United States obsolete. As of 10 October 2017 the textual FA will no longer be produced. Area forecasts for non-CONUS areas are not affected. There are no FA questions on the knowledge examinations. The Graphical Forecast for Aviation is a treasure trove of information for pilots. From www.aviationweather.gov select GFA Tool under the Tools tab, click on Info in the upper right corner to read a description of this product and view a video on its use.

BasicMed
For more information, refer to Advisory Circular 68-1. [Side note....go to the FAA website under FARs and look for Part 68. As of now, it simply says XXX.] Starting May 1, Mayo Clinic will be one of two organizations in the nation to offer a course necessary to obtain this alternative medical qualification.

From the December 2016 issue of AOPA Pilot magazine:
"It's not available everywhere, but the FAA has approved the use of Swift 94UL for use in engines that used to burn 80/87 or 91 octane fuel. The new fuel does not smell like gasoline and is transparent in color."

Transponder Use by Aircraft On Airport Movement Areas
Keep your transponder ON and in altitude-reporting function at all times, including movement on an airport surface area. Turning it to STBY is no longer recommended or required. SAFO 15006

NOTAM Search
Pilots now have instant access to Notices to Airmen. They can select a location or define a route with airport identifications. Visit NOTAM Search to try it out.

Pilot Tip Card
Print this out, laminate it if you can, and keep it with your flight planning materials.

Update: Lesson 10, Navigation
Pages 10-8 and 10-11 of The Complete Private Pilot contain references to online VOR and ADF trainers that are no longer valid. Here are new links to Luiz Monteiro's website where you can find the VOR Simulator as well as the ADF Simulator.

Logging Time
The following PDFs provide helpful FAA legal interpretations of some very common questions. The logging of flight time, especially pilot-in-command time, is important to all pilots. Insurance companies and future employers look to the PIC column when making decisions affecting your flying career. It's tempting to stretch some definitions to try and count as PIC some questionable flight experiences. These interpretations of Part 61 by the Office of the General Counsel will help you avoid having your logbook entries viewed as suspicious.

• Safety Pilot Cross-Country
• Logging Cross-Country Time
• Repositioning
• Logging PIC Flowchart

In short:
1. Unless the aircraft requires more than one pilot for the ENTIRE flight then only one pilot can log cross country time and only if he or she is the sole manipulator for the ENTIRE flight.
2. A repositioning flight is acceptable to allow the pilot to setup a subsequent flight as a cross country flight.

Aviation Weather
Every pilot wants to know more about weather.

• Graphical Forecast for Aviation
  Made operational in April 2017, the Graphical Forecast for Aviation made the textual Area Forecast (FA) for the Continental United States obsolete. As of 10 October 2017 the textual FA will no longer be produced. Area forecasts for non-CONUS areas are not affected. There are no FA questions on the knowledge examinations.
• www.1800wxbrief
  The new and best way to access any government information (charts, airport information, weather, etc) is to go to www.1800wxbrief and register. The weather information provided is a supplement to, not a replacement for, www.aviationweather.gov. Filing ICAO format flight plans is made much easier, as is opening and closing flight plans. Set aside some time to fully explore this site's offerings
• The Aviation Weather Center has changed its format. On its home page you will see tabs for "What's New" and tutorials. If you want to stick with the old format, click on About and select Legacy. Some things never change, however...the old-fashioned black-and-white weather charts used in the computer supplement to knowledge exams can still be found under Standard Briefing. To stay abreast of changes in weather products, go to www.aviationweather.gov/news.
• TAF Reminder
  The forecasters who develop TAFs are familiar with the area around the airport they are forecasting for...they know the terrain and other local influences. Relying on a TAF for one airport while operating out of another leads to forecasters being blamed for a pilot's error.
• Accident Case Study - In Too Deep
  Instructors try their best to teach their students to respect the weather and that still, small voice that says "This is a bad idea." This video, from the Air Safety Institute, makes this lesson better than I could.

• NWS Weather Matrix
  This matrix, published by the National Weather Service, can help.
• NTSB Issues Safety Alert
  NTSB Issues Safety Alert to Pilots on Limitations of In-Cockpit Weather Radar Displays.
• Skew-T Diagram
  For a more detailed description of the "Skew-T", read this article by CFII/meteorologist Scott Dennstaedt.
• AVWX Workshops
  Former meteorologist and current CFII Scott Dennstaedt has made several of his short videos on weather subject available on YouTube. Check them out.

Airport Operations

• Ground Operations
  A short video on ground operations at tower-controlled airports.
• Runway Incursions
  The FAA released a new Runway Incursion Appendix to the Pilot's Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge (dated April 2012). It updates the airport signage and runway markings information found in the current edition of The Complete Private Pilot and you can download a free copy of it.
• Runway Incursions
  This YouTube Video is a learning tool - and example of the importance of maintaining situational awareness, risk management, and resource management. Air traffic controllers are not super-humans and mistakes can happen. Pilots need to remain pilot in command at all times.
• Miscellaneous FAQs and More...
  Is this legal, or do I need a Commercial Pilot certificate?" This article will help.
• Carburetor Heat
  When to apply carburetor heat is a question with many conflicting answers, all of them from well-meaning sources. This is a letter from the National Transportation Safety Board to the FAA with their recommendations for standardization.