Acronyms - Roy G Biv

No, this is not a post about the well known Mr. Biv, or colors of the rainbow. Who is Mr. Biv? Well, Roy G Biv is actualy an acronym for the colors of the rainbow.

Red
Orange
Yellow
Green
Blue
Indigo
Violet

Red is the low frequency color and Violet is the high frequency. What does this have to do with flying? Think of this... These are colors.

What important colors are there in aviation? This is a question I missed on a quiz that now, I will never miss again. The colors of Aviation Gas. Yes, Roy G Biv can be a mnemonic for AvGas colors.

Roy - Red - AvGas 80 octane
G - Green - AvGas 100 octane
Biv - Blue - AvGas 100 octane Low Lead
??? - Yellow or clear - Jet A

Anyone knowing the Roy G Biv mnemonic for remembering the colors of the rainbow can now use it to remember AvGas colors.

According to www.prop-liners.com/avfuel.htm there is a newer 82 octane un-leaded that is purple. That sort of throws off my Roy G Biv mnemonic, but what the heck.

A Plane and a Mission

Back in 2001 when I started my flying lessons, I thought about building my own plane. Nothing really clicked except the Rand KR-2. It is light, strong, fairly tolerant of minor modifications, has a good, and experienced builders group, accepts several power plant options, is fast and is... well... nice to look at.

Now that things are coming to fruition; I am actually going to get my Private Pilot's License, thoughts of aircraft jostle my waking moments. I still like the KR-2 but now that the Sport Pilot license is a reality, there are quite a few more kits and plans available. There does exist a rough idea what I want out of a plane, but there seems to be some uncertainty.

While browsing the Borders book store last weekend, I found a copy of this book. Unfortunately payday is this Friday, so my weekend entertainment budget was limited to a small coffee and all I can drink water from the fountain. There is a very nice section, paragraph or two really, about plan and kit selection. There must be a mission.

So, what is my mission? What do I want to do in my plane?

Stay tuned. Mission briefing incoming. Check back for the upcoming post.

More Glossary Terms For Today - AWOS & ASOS

Since I am reading about automated information services today, here are two more:

• AWOS - Automated Weather Observing System. These are automated weather reporting systems that provide automated surface weather conditions via digital audio and printed report.
• ASOS - Automated Surface Observation System. These are rather basic weather reporting systems that provide digital audio and printed reports. These are only surface observations, not the more detailed information in an ATIS or AWOS report.

Here are some AWOS and ASOS frequencies for the Las Vegas area:
ASOS Ely, Nevada - 120.625
ASOS Tonopah, Nevada - 118.875
AWOS St. George, Utah - 135.075
AWOS Colorado City, Arizona - 118.375

***AWOS & ASOS reports are not always accurate.

Glossary Term of the Day - ATIS

What is ATIS? ATIS is an acronym for Automatic Terminal Information Service.

What REALLY is ATIS and why do I need to know? ATIS is a continuous broadcast of current weather and airport information at busy airports. It typically contains information like current NOTAMs, active runways, weather (including the all-important wind and barometer information), available aproaches, etc... The broadcast message is updated as weather and other information dictate. Each unique message is associated with a letter. Each day, ATIS broadcasts start with 'A' or 'alpha.' The end of each broadcast will announce its letter designation, like "End of information Echo."

The information from an ATIS broadcast is important. DO NOT IGNORE it! The barometer is used to set the altimiter before take off and before approach; wind and active runway information let you know if you will need to do cross wind takeoff or landing and the NOTAMS should inform you about things like runway and taxiway repairs, obstructions, etc...

What's with the letter designation? Well, before taxing to take-off and before landing (usually on initial contact with the control tower where you want to land), the pilot should let the tower know they have listened to ATIS. Here's an example...

"North Las Vegas ground, Cessna 12345. Taxiing from terminal to run-up area runway 07 with Echo." This identifies me, where I am headed and lets the ground controller know that I listened to the most recent ATIS broadcast.

ATIS information is non-control. Just because ATIS says the active runway is 07 doesn't mean 12R can't be used. ATIS is advisory, not control.

Other info: Wikipedia

ATIS frequencies in and around Las Vegas:
132.4 - KLAS - Mc Carran International Airport
118.05 - KVGT- North Las Vegas Airport
270.1 - KLSV - Nellis Air Force Base
322.375 - KNID - China Lake, CA

Many ATIS broadcasts can be accessed from a phone. You call the number and just listen.

Glossary Term of the Day - OAT

OAT - Outside Air Temperature
The Outside Air Temperature (OAT) is important to a pilot, especially when it is very cold. According to the AOPA's Air Safety Foundation's Safety Advisor (Weather No. 2)...

Icing is most likely to occur when:

• The outside air temperature (OAT) is between 0ºC and -20ºC, but the worst icing will usually occur between 0ºC and -10ºC.

• If the temperature dew point spread is fewer than 2ºC and the temperatures are between 0ºC and -20ºC be especially vigilant for ice.

• The worst icing is common in the top 1,000 feet of cumulus clouds when the temperature is 0ºC or lower.

• Keep a sharp eye on the OAT gauge and if visible moisture (clouds) is encountered when the OAT is between these temperatures, be prepared to change altitude if ice begins to accumulate.

...Many aircraft I have flown in has no OAT Gauge...