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inf light workload has been reduced. But as our airspace becomes more saturated, we have seen some of their workload shifted to the pilot to lessen the workload of controllers. A poten- tial f ly-in-the-ointment in this shift is the current tendency of controllers to use the word “except” when issuing a clearance to fly a three-dimensional (plus velocity) procedure.
We are normally prepared for the descent and instrument approach but sometimes get behind. ATC, weather, traffic, mechanical and passenger is- sues are common distractions. You will have reviewed the arrival and ap- proach as published, including related NOTAMS and you are prepared to fly them – as published. It’s less of an is- sue in a multi-pilot cockpit, but when you’re by yourself and faced with late notice, unplanned, unpublished changes, we can easily get behind.
A vision, without a plan,
is just a hallucination. – Will Rogers
Controllers sometimes modify pro- cedures by using the word “except” to change how we fly departures and de- scend via arrivals – even instrument approaches. For example, when they tell you to cross a fix on the approach “at” 5,000 when it’s published as “at or above” 5,000 feet, that is an unpub- lished modification. The same is true when they tell you to fly 250 kts to fix A, 210 kts to fix B and then 180 to the marker. How often can ATC modify published procedures, routes, alti- tudes or speeds before they cease to
24 • TWIN & TURBINE / April 2021
Gone the way of unsliced bread.
be “published” procedures? How do we protect ourselves from violating short notice changes? Shall we add a note to our f light plans in the remarks section: PAPO (Procedures As Published Only). Or do we simply respond with “unable” when we’re asked to comply with too many modified, inconsistent or un- predictable arrival or approach pro- cedures? Due to COVID, our airspace system has been in “casual” mode for over a year, and the number of modi- fications has decreased. But as travel resumes, we can expect congestion and some confusion.
Pandemic Headwinds
The General Aviation Manufacturers Association’s state of the industry
media event on February 24 marked the first time the annual announcement of shipment and billing statistics was conducted virtually. During the event, GAMA released figures showing aircraft deliveries for the year valued at $22.8 billion, down from $27.8 billion in 2019. The 2,399 airplanes shipped in 2020 marked a 9.7-percent decline from 2019, with $20 billion in total billings, down 14.8 percent. Piston airplane deliveries (1,312) remained nearly stable from 2019 (1,324). However, turboprops took a 15.6-percent hit with 443 shipments, down from 525, and the 644 business jet deliveries skidded 20.4 percent from 809 in 2019.
“As expected, in 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic negatively impacted gen- eral aviation and stifled the industry’s growth. While we continue to face headwinds globally, all signs point to strong demand for our products and services that are unfortunately being constrained by pandemic in- duced supply chain limitations and a vast array of disjointed barriers to air travel across national borders,” GAMA President Pete Bunce said. This was seen as a bright spot in the busi- ness jet segment, however, since the decline was less than what had been
LNAV using GPS can provide an accurate engine failure ground track.