Norcal, November 1998

**SIC SAC**
***Significant Information for*** ***Pilots***
Winter is upon us again and rumor has come to my attention that some pilots may not be ready for any changes in the weather. While this might be true in some areas, I told the instigators of this vicious dastardly rumor, that the 10, 998 pilots who reside in the Sacramento Flight Standards District would never allow themselves to be lacking in this matter. I told them that the pilots in this district were already studying weather manuals to learn the particularly nasty weather that winter could bring. I told them that pilots here are learning that if they should take their aircraft aloft and fly into visible moisture (such as clouds or rain) and the air temperature is near freezing, they could encounter Structural Icing. They also know that even though the temperature, at the point where visible moisture strikes the aircraft, must be at 0 degrees centigrade or colder to produce ice, aerodynamic cooling can lower temperature on an airfoil to 0 degrees centigrade even though the outside air temperature is warmer. Pilots in this district also know that there are three types of icing that an aircraft can encounter. Clear Ice, which forms when, visible moisture impacts the aircraft surface, the liquid flows out over the surface gradually freezing like a smooth sheet of solid ice. Clear Ice, as they know, usually happens when the drops are large such as in rain from Cumuliform clouds. Rime Ice, which forms when water drops are small such as in stratified clouds or light drizzle. Mixed Rime and Clear Ice, which forms when droplets are varied in size or when snow or ice particles are present.	Yes the pilots around these parts even understand the problems a pilot might encounter if a check of the weather showed a warm air mass overtaking and rising above a cold air mass. They know that the warm air being lifted aloft would cool and condense water in the form of warm rain. This warm rain falling through the cold air (providing the cold air mass was at freezing temperatures) would possibly cause the warm rain falling through it to become supercooled, which would freeze on impact with almost any cold surface it came in contact with. In other words these pilots know that Ice is very detrimental to flying safety. I don’t think you would ever see a pilot in this district fly an aircraft that had snow or ice adhering to it. Pilots here know that even a small amount of frost adhering to the wings could cause the wings to stall at a much higher speed that normal. It’s even common knowledge, in these here parts, for pilots to check openings, holes, and bottom areas of control surfaces, for frozen water and snow which could negate the effect of counter weights, which are added to control surfaces to prevent flutter. Smart pilots around here who know better than to clean snow and ice off of an aircraft, in freezing temperatures, with water. They know that the water might freeze and cause more problems, such as jammed controls or worse lift than the snow or ice that was removed. Yeh, I hope these rumors stop soon cause I have confidence that the Pilots in this district will even come to one of the winter flying seminars we are holding over the next several months. They will also read AC-00-5A (Aviation Weather) as a minimum this winter and maybe I won’t have to investigate any of those nasty accidents.

**FAT FSDO**
PHASE I Jacqueline M. Talley Michael Weilert	PHASE III Norman McAdams PHASE V Geroge McMahon	PHASE VII Steven Cline PHASE VIII John R. Niemeyer
Administrative Issues - Fresno Many individuals in the district have asked about placing notices of aviation events in our monthly newsletter. Space permitting and at this editor’s discretion, we would be more than happy to include your event. However, text copy must be on my desk 2 ½ months before the publication month. This fact is due to the time lag between the District Office and Oklahoma City where the newsletter is published and mailed out.

FAT FSDO

PHASE I
Jacqueline M. Talley
Michael Weilert

PHASE III
Norman McAdams

PHASE V
Geroge McMahon

PHASE VII
Steven Cline

PHASE VIII
John R. Niemeyer

Administrative Issues - Fresno

Many individuals in the district have asked about placing notices of aviation events in our monthly newsletter. Space permitting and at this editor’s discretion, we would be more than happy to include your event. However, text copy must be on my desk 2 ½ months before the publication month. This fact is due to the time lag between the District Office and Oklahoma City where the newsletter is published and mailed out.

**SAC FSDO**
PHASE I Tim Garner Lyle D. Marshall William A. Wren Jr. PHASE II Robert D. Johnson Paul F. Klingborg Lee J. Taylor PHASE III Graham Johnson	PHASE IV Viki Dines John E. Doherty Nancy Everett PHASE V Jack Carmany Peter W. Kleine PHASE VI Kenneth W. Van Gorder	PHASE VIII Alban Konishi PHASE XII John P Reeve Seawings PHASE I John Lowery
CHANGES We would like to say a fond farewell to Don Green our Airworthiness SPM. He is moving on to bigger and better things. Good Luck Don, and Farewell. We would also like to give a warm welcome to Gordon Campbell who is taking over Don’s position. Gordon comes to us from the Principal Inspectors Area of our office. Welcome Aboard, Gordon. I’m sure the aviation public will be seeing a lot of you in the future.

SAC FSDO

PHASE I
Tim Garner
Lyle D. Marshall
William A. Wren Jr.

PHASE II
Robert D. Johnson
Paul F. Klingborg
Lee J. Taylor

PHASE III
Graham Johnson

PHASE IV
Viki Dines
John E. Doherty
Nancy Everett

PHASE V
Jack Carmany
Peter W. Kleine

PHASE VI
Kenneth W. Van Gorder

PHASE VIII
Alban Konishi

PHASE XII
John P Reeve

Seawings
PHASE I
John Lowery

CHANGES

We would like to say a fond farewell to Don Green our Airworthiness SPM. He is moving on to bigger and better things. Good Luck Don, and Farewell.

We would also like to give a warm welcome to Gordon Campbell who is taking over Don’s position. Gordon comes to us from the Principal Inspectors Area of our office. Welcome Aboard, Gordon. I’m sure the aviation public will be seeing a lot of you in the future.

When was the last time you flew into Las Vegas? The Bay Area? Southern California? Well, if you attended last months seminar on ‘Controlled Airspace’ then you should be up-to-date on all the intricacies of flying into and out of those area’s. However, if you didn’t, and you got "caught" inadvertently" entering the edge / perimeter of Class B airspace without properly contacting ATC, then you may be in a big hurt, in a big way!	Air Traffic Control is required to file a "Pilot Deviation" (or PD) on your actions, to which we here at the FSDO are required to properly investigate the incident. In fairness to all, the FAR’s are really there for safety reasons, and besides, I know I don’t wish to have a mid-air with a 757……..or for that matter even a commuter prop-jet! "Well, honest, officer, I really didn’t mean to run that red light" This may be true in today’s traffic, but I bet the officer still gives you	that ticket. In California, at least I can go to traffic school (after paying the fine) to keep it off my driving record, provided my previous record is good. The FAA also has such a program available for errant aviator drivers, who have a good record, the incident was unintentional, and safety was not compromised. It is called the "Remedial Training Program" Nevertheless, the program is not

just a quick-fix. It requires some stringent prerequisites before it may be offered in lieu of enforcement action to the errant aviator by the investigating FAA inspector. In fact, the following is the excerpted FAA policy statement: Policy: The purpose of this program is to achieve the future compliance by certificated airmen through alternatives to punitive legal enforcement action. This policy applies to certificate holders who were not exercising the privileges of their	certificates for compensation or hire in air transportation when the apparent violation occurred. Where remedial training is determined to be appropriate, the airman is allowed to complete a FAA-designed corrective training program in lieu of the imposition of certificate or civil penalty action. The FAA will not impose a punitive legal enforcement sanction against the participating airman for that incident, if the airman satisfactorily completes the prescribed training course within the time specified by the agency.	It is within the discretion of the inspector, in coordination with the Field Office Management, to make an initial determination as to whether remedial training may be appropriate. In the exercise of this discretion, the inspector should consider the following factors: 1.Whether future compliance can reasonably be ensured through remedial training alone. 2. The airman should exhibit a constructive attitude which would lead the inspector to believe that

the airman has a willingness to comply, so that non-compliance is less likely in the future. 3. Remedial training is not an appropriate response to conduct which discloses a lack of qualifications 4. The airman's record of enforcement actions, if any. Remedial training will generally be appropriate for airmen with no record of violations, but a record of violation will not automatically render remedial training inappropriate. For the purpose of this program,	administrative actions and legal enforcement actions, including a civil penalty compromise or an order assessing civil penalty/settlement without a finding of violation, or a waiver of imposition of a certificate or civil penalty action in accordance with the Aviation Safety Reporting System, may be considered. 5. Remedial training is not considered appropriate for conduct which is deliberate, grossly negligent, or which may constitute a criminal offense. A remedial training course will be	developed by an FAA Accident Prevention Specialist (APS), or other qualified person at the direction of the Flight Standards District Office (FSDO) Manager, only after review of the investigative file, discussion and counseling with the candidate in person, and discussion with the investigating field inspector. Ground instruction, flight training, simulator training, training conducted by a mechanic instructor, authorized inspector, designated mechanic examiner, or other training may be required and must be received from qualified training sources

qualified training sources approved by the APS at the candidate's expense. FAA personnel will not conduct remedial training. In order to ensure that the agency preserves its ability to initiate timely legal enforcement action in the event the airman fails to satisfy any terms and conditions of the training agreement, the APS, upon consultation with the	consultation with the investigating inspector, should develop a training program that is capable of completion within 120 days after the FAA became aware of the violation. Failure to complete the training program successfully within the time specified may result in termination of the airman's participation in the program, and may result in appropriate legal enforcement action.	So there you have it, aviators. Not necessarily a "get out of jail free card", but a little bit better, a "Go back to school card" Now we all know that "Wings" pilots never make mistakes………….sure.