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Thursday, December 26, 2013

FAAST Blast — Week of Dec 23 – Dec 29, 2013 Biweekly FAA Safety Briefing News Update

FAA Safety Team | Safer Skies Through Education
FAAST Blast
Notice Number: NOTC5108


QR Codes Enhance AeroNav Charts
            Beginning with the October 17, 2013, print cycle, all AeroNav charting products began to feature Quick Response (QR) codes that points pilots to additional flight information sources. QR codes are the special box-shaped barcodes that, with the aid of a smartphone, can be scanned and have you directed to a specific website or email address. According to Eric Freed, FAA Enroute and Visual Charts Group Manager, “Each QR code will direct the pilot to a series of web-links that will provide easier access to important/updated flight information to be used during the flight planning process.” These include Notices to Airmen (NOTAMs), Temporary Flight Restrictions (TFRs), and chart update bulletins. Check out this time- and space-saving tool on your next flight and as an aside, if, in the course of planning or executing your flight path, you happen to notice a wind turbine farm on your route, be sure to maintain a safe distance and beware of the potential hazard for shedding ice!
 
AD Revised for Various Aircraft with Wing Lift Struts
            Last week, the FAA issued a revision to Airworthiness Directive (AD) 99-01-05 that affects certain aircraft with wing lift struts and requires inspection and replacement procedures for corroded/cracked wing lift strut forks. The revised AD clarifies the FAA’s intent of required actions if the seal on a sealed wing lift strut is ever improperly broken. The AD is effective January 14, 2014, and can be viewed here: http://go.usa.gov/ZDJ4.
 
Airman Testing Reform Update
            You may have heard about the Airman Certification Standards (ACS) project, but do you know what it’s all about? How about its effect on the Practical Test Standards (PTS), or airman training requirements? To learn more about the collaborative efforts behind the ACS and its potential impact on you as an airman (or airman-in-training), see the special two-page Q&A on page 15 of the November/December 2013 issue (www.faa.gov/news/safety_briefing/) of FAA Safety Briefing magazine.  
 
Happy Holidays!            Happy holidays from all of us on the FAA Safety Briefing staff. We wish you an enjoyable New Year and safe journeys in 2014! And just in case you’re still looking for that last-minute gift, consider giving your favorite pilot or mechanic a free online subscription to FAA Safety Briefing. Just go to www.faa.gov/news/safety_briefing/, click on the subscribe link (green checkmark), and register your e-mail address. From there you’ll find FAA Safety Briefing as a subscription option under the Flight Standards category. You (or your gift recipient) will get an email each time a new issue is available online. Cheers!
 
Produced by the FAA Safety Briefing editors, http://www.faa.gov/news/safety_briefing/
Address questions or comments to: SafetyBriefing@faa.gov.
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