Event Idea: Wednesday Weather

[stevekirks]

Summary: A weekly event where PE staff will pick an airport with an instrument approach and a weather scenario and pilots will fly it for challenge and self grading

Details:

T minus one week: PE Staff brainstorm for an airport and instrument approach. When those are decided, weather settings for FSX/P3D/X-Plane are defined. Scenario is written as a pilot brief and posted to the PE forums or dedicated webpage (e.g. Focus Fields)

Week of the even: The field is open for all traffic and all standard PE rules apply. Pilots fly to the chosen airport with standard flight plan but note "Weather Wednesday" in the remarks. Non-participating pilots proceed as normal.

Pilot Role:

• Load the simulator
• Set the weather for the destination airport as directed by the pilot brief.
• File the flight plan with the Weather Wednesday remarks.
• Fly the designated approach including preparation to fly the missed approach procedure.
• Post notes or results in the forum

Controller Role:

• When a pilot calls for clearance, check the flight plan for Weather Wednesday remarks. Confirm verbally. Expect some pilots to call in for clearance and declare Weather Wednesday.
• All traffic is handled using standard procedures and at any time a controller can declare "unable" and the pilot must determine if they divert or continue.
• Be aware that Weather Wednesday pilots can not be given a visual approach

Overall, this is like a pilot calling in for practice instrument approaches but PE staff would decide the airport, approach and weather. The fun comes from the combination chosen by clever PE staffers and the pilot's forum writeup (and screenshots!) that everyone would see. I was thinking that this might not be an additional burden for the controllers on the scope, placing all of the work on the pilot. This also can give the pilot a structure for practice and a week's notice for practice and planning.

Thoughts?

[Keith Smith]

Very good, with one small change.

My thought is that this is a perfect candidate for a Fly With Me event that is arranged by the community (in this case, you). You post the brief, no custom controller interaction is required, pilots simply request the approach that you have chosen for that week and then post the debrief.

When pilots want to fly a practice approach in real life, that's what they tell the controller. This is the point of the I-2 rating, in fact...requesting the ILS RWY 24 at CRQ even if the visual approach is in use at the time. There's no need for a secret phrase to unlock a custom approach selection.