Absolutely, fair comment. To be honest I originally wrote “American and European”, then thought I’d better include Canada, then didn’t want to upset @Richard_Pearse - after that I just sort of gave up 
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That was/is a totally legit problem. Though a lot less so now.
Back in the day the “official” answer was to go to the local pilot store and buy the official government IFR booklet for that area. Which would give you airfield diagrams, approach charts, SIDs, & STARs for maybe a half-dozen nearby states. All so you could look at one page one time for a silly ($25?) amount of money. Nowadays the paper books sell for $10 and you can order them over the internet. Here’s the one for the Pacific northwest area:
Jeppesen used to sell what I think they called “trip kits” where for a fee you could get just the current charts for a planned flight from A to B. Again expensive for what you got, much less for the tiny subset a VFR pilot needs.
Nowadays you can usually get airfield diagrams for free via from Airnav. E.g.
Most of which such pages contain a link to the FAA’s official taxi chart. For some small airports the airfield diagram is an inset on one of the approach charts and it can be hard to find which chart that’s on. Everett’s is easy; just click the link below the small airfield diagram:
https://aeronav.faa.gov/d-tpp/2213/00142AD.PDF
Anyone using a tablet of some sort nowadays will also need a nav app which also requires a subscription to give you all the current charts, plates, etc. Here’s one example by a leading supplier that runs about $120/yr for everything a GA pilot might want. I recall similar coverage on paper charts being a few hundred dollars a year back in the 1970s when I was a PP and when a dollar had a lot more value. Yaay for computers!
https://www.foreflight.com/
Our current stuff is a subset of all the goodies they have.
I wondered if it was something like that. Considering how expensive flying is, an extra $25 probably wouldn’t break the bank. I just didn’t know what to get or where to look for it. None of my instructors ever mentioned what publications were available for IFR pilots, or what I might use them for.
There was so much information infrastructure available for pilots (maps, directories, NOTAMs, weather; all updated on rigorous schedules) that I just figured I must be missing something.
I appreciate the answer, @LSLGuy. I think about getting back into flying, one of these days. The changes over the last 30 years would probably be a huge culture shock.
In Canada all pilots get the Canada Flight Supplement, which has airport diagrams of every airport among many other things.
A hand held GPS with a color display was $3500. It would have a small screen and all input was through the buttons on the unit. It was a huge improvement over Loran’s which was a big improvement over VOR and map navigation.
IPAD’s blew all of that out of the water both in cost and features. By many multiples of improvement. You are now using the same VFR maps issued by the FAA by subscription which is much cheaper than buying the maps. No more clunky buttons or difficult programing procedures. It’s all very intuitive and super easy to use. With add-on ADS-B interface you have a view of all the other aircraft around you (that transmit the correct code). If you want to change your programmed flight path you can touch it and drag it around something like restricted air space so you don’t have to program a bunch of artificial waypoints. You can use it to go online and download the appropriate weather and notams for your flight, pick the best routes for fuel cost and wind speeds and file the flight plan. In an emergency you’re one touch away from choosing the closest airports and If you program in your plane’s performance characteristics it will tell you if you can make it. You can extend the runways out and cue up on them before ever seeing the airport.
I’m just scratching the surface of what iPad driven GPS software can do. It’s all programmable to your taste in what it displays.
Video shows Yeti Airlines ATR 72 rolling before crash. Engine or prop failure?
He’s real nose high and mushing from the git-go. Looks like flaps are up. Which at first glance is an odd configuration for an impending landing. Could be either a stall / incipient spin or a Vmc roll.
My bet is Vmc roll. I’d expect a more violent wing-drop if it was a true stall. Whether there was already an engine / prop failure or we just watched one happen in real time I can’t say. Or maybe they just got real slow, noticed the mistake, crammed on full throttle, and one engine accelerated normally while the other took its time. Any of those can trigger a Vmc problem.
The left wing was already low. if it was stalling then trying to lift the wing with ailerons would accelerate the stall with no signs of it lifting. If they lost and engine then the plane would immediately skew in the direction of the failed engine.
I was in a plane that lost an engine on take-off and it was scary how fast the plane lurched over. The pilot had to jump on the rudder immediately to keep the wing up. It was a 25,000 hr pilot and he really had to fight to control the plane.
There’s actually a video out there from inside by a passenger who was broadcasting on Facebook live. Not a pleasant watch.
Imagine family members watching that live. You don’t know what’s going on and then then destruction and flames a few seconds later.
One of the reasons it’s a real bad idea to stream anything live. You don’t know what’s going to happen in the immediate future.
You could be shopping at Walmart when a shoot-out breaks out. Or be in line at McDonalds when someone nearby has a “wardrobe failure”. Not good. Or something truly horrific like this.
FAA launches investigation after two planes nearly collide at JFK airport
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The Federal Aviation Administration has launched an investigation after two commercial airplanes narrowly avoided a collision at John F. Kennedy International Airport on Friday, a spokesperson confirmed to CNBC.
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The FAA said a Boeing 737 operated by Delta Air Lines stopped its takeoff around 8:45 p.m. when air traffic controllers noticed another American Airlines aircraft crossing the runway. The Delta flight “stopped its takeoff roll approximately 1,000 feet” from the point where the American Airlines Boeing 777 had crossed, according to the FAA’s preliminary analysis.
Almost a repeat of Tenerife disaster at JFK. I guess they cancelled the Delta 737 flight so the crew could change clothes.
Ouch! That would have hurt. Bad. I wasn’t there, but I have a pretty good idea where on JFK’s layout that happened.
At least where I work, policy is that you don’t fly after a close call or a significantly scary inflight emergency. Instead you ride home and take a couple days off just to recover your composure. Of course if there’s to be an investigation, that lay-off also keeps the memories of the event uncluttered and ensures you didn’t do any more flying before they decide to open that investigation after what later may prove to have been a problem with your workmanship.
After any rejected takeoff, even from a trivial speed, we’re going back to the gate for a brake / tire inspection. If it was a high-speed high-energy reject it’s a good bet the gear is going to need a couple hours to cool down, plus one or more tires and/or brakes replaced. So switching to another jet is a virtual certainty. Whether they have a spare crew handy enough soon enough to relaunch the flight is a separate issue.
That was my thought. I’m not even sure I want it back at a gate. I don’t know if you can throw water on them but I’ve seen truck tires catch fire from seized brakes and I’d prefer that to happen away from a terminal.
I don’t know JFK at all but looking at the chart and listening to the taxi instructions it seemed to be a pretty straight forward clearance. 8:45pm in winter, dark, lots of lights, I guess it wasn’t as simple to the crew as it seems from here.
@Magiver
After we stop, one of the next tasks after the precipitating emergency is contained and we’ve prevented an unnecessary passenger-initiated evacuation is to sort out our brake energy levels via a complicated chart in the manual.
Beyond a certain energy level we don’t move, we just sit there and wait for the tires to overheat & deflate while the fire department watches from safe enough distance and direction to avoid any shrapnel, but still close enough to put out any fire that starts in the tires/brakes/wheels. The wheels incorporate fuse plugs that should melt & release the air pressure safely before a tire bursts. Should. Sometimes the tires took enough damage they’re weakened enough to hold us through the stop but will burst early well before the pressure / temperature inside gets up enough to trigger the fuse plugs.
If the situation is not quite that dire we’ll move to a place off the runway but still away from the terminal and wait awhile. Just in case. If the situation is even less dire, we’ll go to the gate. Followed by the fire department. This last is by far the most common outcome.
@Richard_Pearse:
Being a non-twitter person I didn’t listen to the audio cited in the article. Does it sound like the 777 crossed without clearance, the 737 started takeoff without clearance, or did the controller launch them both? Or was there comm jamming / blocking generating confusion beyond the usual degree of JFK busy?
No it all seemed clear to me. Clear instructions read back correctly.
This YouTube video has a reconstruction of the relevant bits. (I hope none of my flights ever get the YouTube reconstruction treatment.)
I didn’t really answer your question. The 777 was cleared to cross 31L at K but crossed 4L instead.