From the Flight Deck - City of Colorado Springs Municipal Airport (COS)

Рет қаралды 3,309

Күн бұрын

City of Colorado Springs Municipal Airport is a large, multi-use airport located on the eastern edge of Colorado Springs, Colorado. It has associated Class Charlie airspace that pilots need to understand before they arrive. Traffic consists of everything from pre-solo training aircraft up through air carrier and heavy military transports, including US Forest Service firefighting tankers. With the high airport elevation and the front range of the Rocky Mountains to the west, it is easy to see why extra awareness and thorough flight planning, including in depth review of the airport diagram, is imperative, especially for the first-time visitor.
Visit www.faa.gov/cos for supplemental "pilot handbook" information on this airport including airport-specific cautions, information local controllers want pilots to know, airport communications, airspace details and other preflight planning resources.
1:12 - The airport configuration consists of a set of widely spaced parallel runways labeled 17 right & left - 35 right & left and a smaller runway in between the parallels that does not intersect, labeled Runway 13-31. There is a risk of wrong surface landings and departures at COS.
2:46 - Pilots, please note the tower utilizes the airspace between the parallel runways to conduct traffic pattern operations. This practice allows controllers to maneuver pattern traffic to avoid wake turbulence and to avoid conflicts with arrival and departure traffic assigned Runway 13-31. In this section, we provide recommended pilot actions.
3:46 - Another risk associated with airport layout can be found at hot spot #1, located at the approach ends of Runway 17R and Runway 13 taxiway Alpha 1 and Bravo 1. There are several items pilots need to be aware of at this location.
5:46 - Hot spot #2 is located at the intersection of taxiways Alpha 4 and Gulf and Runway 17R/35L. It is a high-volume crossing point and pilots need to pay close attention to tower instructions in the area.
6:09 - Hot spot #3 is at the intersection of taxiways Echo 4, Gulf, Hotel, Bravo and Echo. Although not a typical taxi route for general aviation aircraft, it is a large area of concrete with several taxiways converging. If you find yourself in the area be aware of the wrong taxiway possibility.
6:43 - Hot spot #4 is found at the approach ends of Runway 35L&R. It is a long way from the control tower and can be hard for the controller to see. Precise position reports and close attention to the frequency will help the tower with this issue.
The FAA's From the Flight Deck video series uses aircraft-mounted cameras to capture runway and taxiway footage and combines them with diagrams and visual graphics to clearly identify hot spots and other safety-sensitive items. Learn more at www.faa.gov/Fr....
This video is informational only and does not replace the pilot’s responsibility to conduct required pre-flight planning in accordance with FAR 91.103.