YouTube: Aviation 101 with Laura

***Important Disclaimer!!! I am NOT a doctor, and I am NOT an FAA AME, and I am NOT an FAA employee! I am not endorsing or recommending any particular product/service/doctor/medical service. The intent of this video is to provide guidance on color vision deficiencies (color blindness) that can impact getting your FAA pilot medical without restrictions. I will NOT be answering questions in the comments about the FAA medical process or the color vision testing process that would constitute me giving advice. Consult your own medical professional team or AOPA Medical advice team (Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association) for these questions!*** Helpful links: FAA 8900 inspector guidance on testing for color vision (OVCT and MFT): https://drs.faa.gov/browse/excelExternalWindow/DRSDOCID151325308720250903163327.0001 FAA AME Guidance on color vision: https://www.faa.gov/ame_guide/app_process/exam_tech/item52/amd Great article from an aviation law firm: https://thepilotlawyer.com/blog/faa-color-vision-standards/ Another great article mentioned in the video about color vision and ColorMax lenses: https://aviationmedicine.com/article/color-vision/ FAA request for research on ColorMax lenses and FAA computerized color vision testing: https://rip.trb.org/View/2518966 My full medical video playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLLsqYZi-3W_TDNtoGnCvgdbnpo_Gc9ly- My previous video on communicating with the FAA for medical deferrals: https://youtu.be/jJY_nUkk33o FAA AME Guidance: https://www.faa.gov/ame_guide/ FAA MedXPress (required to fill out your medical application BEFORE going to the AME): https://medxpress.faa.gov/MedXpress/Disclaimer.aspx Another important disclaimer: I am not a mental health professional. I am not an FAA Aviation Medical Examiner (AME). I am not a medical professional. I am not providing you with medical advice or advice on how to complete your own personal FAA medical application. This video is intended to provide insight to FAA pilot medical application process. Check out my other videos covering regulations, airline operations, video tours, instrument flying, and weight and balance calculations! Visit my website at www.theaviationvault.com to learn much more about aircraft dispatchers, airlines, and dispatch history! Learn more about LeTourneau University's aviation program at www.letu.edu/fly or about our all-online Aviation Studies degree program at http://bit.ly/AviationOnline. Always remember that Laura, when you get right down to it, is just a pilot and a dispatcher. She is explaining facts from the source materials but may be incorrect or out of date. You should always follow your primary guidance (Aircraft manuals, government regulations, etc.) before listening to anything from this YouTube channel. These videos are intended for educational purposes only.

**** New channel merch link! https://www.theaviationvault.com/category/all-products ***** Weather is found in the Bible? I must admit, I was surprised too the first time I read through the Bible and found SO many passages about weather! As a pilot & aircraft dispatcher (and aviation meteorology teacher), I love to read scripture about weather and the creation. What other passages do you like from the Bible about weather? What can we learn from them? If you want to have me as your teacher (live & in person!) check out attending where I work: LeTourneau University! I love it here, and you might find it the perfect fit for your aviation career path! More here: https://www.letu.edu/academics/aviation/index.html Visit my website at www.theaviationvault.com to learn much more about aircraft dispatchers, airlines, and dispatch history! Always remember that Laura, when you get right down to it, is just a pilot and a dispatcher. She is explaining facts from the source materials but may be incorrect or out of date. You should always follow your primary guidance (Aircraft manuals, government regulations, etc.) before listening to anything from this YouTube channel. These videos are intended for educational purposes only.

***Take my online mini-courses for aircraft dispatchers and pilots: https://www.theaviationvault.com/challenges - get the edge in your interview and training!*** This short video gives an overview of the B737-300 APU (auxiliary power unit) for students preparing for the aircraft dispatcher oral & practical test! It's also a helpful review for pilots learning the basics of systems in a general sense, but not very aircraft specific. Check out my other aircraft dispatch, B737 systems, and pilot study videos on my channel. Visit my website at www.theaviationvault.com to learn much more about aircraft dispatchers, airlines, and dispatch history! Learn more about LeTourneau University's aviation program at www.letu.edu/fly or about our all-online Aviation Studies degree program at http://bit.ly/AviationOnline. Always remember that Laura, when you get right down to it, is just a pilot and a dispatcher. She is explaining facts from the source materials but may be incorrect or out of date. You should always follow your primary guidance (aircraft manuals, government regulations, etc.) before listening to anything from this YouTube channel. These videos are intended for educational purposes only.

***Take my online mini-courses for aircraft dispatchers and pilots: https://www.theaviationvault.com/challenges - get the edge in your interview and training!*** This video gives you a quick look at my online courses I've created on The Aviation Vault (www.theaviationvault.com) which is my own website! Let me know what you think, and I also want to know what other courses you would be interested in seeing me create. Check out my other videos covering weather, regulations, airline operations, video tours, instrument flying, and weight and balance calculations! Visit my website at www.theaviationvault.com to learn much more about aircraft dispatchers, airlines, and dispatch history! Always remember that Laura, when you get right down to it, is just a pilot and a dispatcher. She is explaining facts from the source materials but may be incorrect or out of date. You should always follow your primary guidance (Aircraft manuals, government regulations, etc.) before listening to anything from this YouTube channel. These videos are intended for educational purposes only.

***Take my online mini-courses for aircraft dispatchers and pilots: https://www.theaviationvault.com/challenges - get the edge in your interview and training!*** This video provides several scenarios used by major airlines during interviews along with ones I use during aircraft dispatch practical test prep sessions. Practice along with these scenarios and get ready for your own interview or aircraft dispatcher practical test. Feel free to contribute your own aviation interview experiences in the comments. We can share and support each other! Other helpful links: Regional Airline Dispatcher Interview Test: https://youtu.be/hyARRNda5pk The Alternate Game & 1-2-3 Rule: https://youtu.be/kvHmg3PgB5M METAR Reading Practice: https://youtu.be/oeR71RxEjCY METAR Reading Practice 2 (harder!): https://youtu.be/0Nf4GG6UwUU Dispatch Resource Management DRM Scenarios 1: https://youtu.be/XayUvUT71J4 Dispatch Resource Management DRM Scenarios 2: https://youtu.be/H-M49mptxkg Part 121 Takeoff Minimums & Jeppesen 10-9A Page: https://youtu.be/TGZSv1bJv1E Jeppesen Approach Overview: https://youtu.be/foDoi7HJgRc Takeoff Alternates: https://youtu.be/f865oEVmqUw Also helpful is learning about derived alternate minimums (some regionals WILL ask about this): https://youtu.be/W-zceRBRZEY and https://youtu.be/e0hzIQTQmJQ (two part video series) Check out my other videos covering weather, regulations, airline operations, video tours, instrument flying, and weight and balance calculations! Visit my website at www.theaviationvault.com to learn much more about aircraft dispatchers, airlines, and dispatch history! Always remember that Laura, when you get right down to it, is just a pilot and a dispatcher. She is explaining facts from the source materials but may be incorrect or out of date. You should always follow your primary guidance (Aircraft manuals, government regulations, etc.) before listening to anything from this YouTube channel. These videos are intended for educational purposes only.

**** New channel merch link! https://www.theaviationvault.com/category/all-products ***** (get the shirts I'm wearing on this video here...!) What do Aircraft Dispatchers do? And what to we NOT do? Check out my latest fun short! Shoutout to my family for help with the props and the filming over Christmas break. This was all filmed at LeTourneau University's Abbott Aviation Center in various locations around our facility. Check out @PropHatCat for someone who IS ATC - and who is my former student (in aircraft dispatch!) He can tell you WAY more about what ATC actually does. There are a lot of surprising benefits to this somewhat unknown career path. Check out my other video about what an Aircraft Dispatcher does! https://youtu.be/iSeZKJqx5Jc Here's a longer one on career benefits for being a dispatcher: https://youtu.be/VVFPpyFbFe4 And if you want to have me as your teacher (live & in person!) check out attending where I work: LeTourneau University! I love it here, and you might find it the perfect fit for your aviation career path! More here: https://www.letu.edu/academics/aviation/index.html Visit my website at www.theaviationvault.com to learn much more about aircraft dispatchers, airlines, and dispatch history! Always remember that Laura, when you get right down to it, is just a pilot and a dispatcher. She is explaining facts from the source materials but may be incorrect or out of date. You should always follow your primary guidance (Aircraft manuals, government regulations, etc.) before listening to anything from this YouTube channel. These videos are intended for educational purposes only.

Here's a crazy story from the book "Humble Pie" by Matt Parker. This flight seems to have been loaded in kilos when the pilots, load planners, and flight follower thought it was loaded in pounds! The aircraft managed to take off, but who was responsible? The FAA thought it was the Director of Operations, but why? And why was there no Aircraft Dispatcher involved? Find out more by watching this crazy story! Note: I may make a small commission off anything you buy from the affiliate links within this video. Thank you for supporting this channel! Sadly, not all are in print, but check ebay or other used book sites! Related videos: Flag/Supplemental/Domestic: https://youtube.com/shorts/BO0qtdKflSM Flag/Supplemental/Domestic fuel requirements: https://youtu.be/n7x_zy8K2Zw Related NASA report: search their database for report number 272974 https://asrs.arc.nasa.gov/search/database.html NTSB Order PDF with the whole story: https://www.ntsb.gov/legal/alj/OnODocuments/Aviation/4510.pdf Check out my other videos covering weather, regulations, airline operations, video tours, instrument flying, and weight and balance calculations! Visit my website at www.theaviationvault.com to learn much more about aircraft dispatchers, airlines, and dispatch history! Always remember that Laura, when you get right down to it, is just a pilot and a dispatcher. She is explaining facts from the source materials but may be incorrect or out of date. You should always follow your primary guidance (Aircraft manuals, government regulations, etc.) before listening to anything from this YouTube channel. These videos are intended for educational purposes only.

**** New channel merch link! https://www.theaviationvault.com/category/all-products ***** This is part 2 of a mini series on times when aviation training was hard, and I thought I wouldn't make it! Here, I give some quick advice on getting through your spin training (or other flight training where you are getting nausea or upset stomach or motion sickness.) Part 1: https://youtube.com/shorts/hOgpRbfPSRw?feature=share If you want to have me as your teacher (live & in person!) check out attending where I work: LeTourneau University! I love it here, and you might find it the perfect fit for your aviation career path! More here: https://www.letu.edu/academics/aviation/index.html (and no they did not pay me to make this video!) Visit my website at www.theaviationvault.com to learn much more about aircraft dispatchers, airlines, and dispatch history! Always remember that Laura, when you get right down to it, is just a pilot and a dispatcher. She is explaining facts from the source materials but may be incorrect or out of date. You should always follow your primary guidance (Aircraft manuals, government regulations, etc.) before listening to anything from this YouTube channel. These videos are intended for educational purposes only.

**** New channel merch link! https://www.theaviationvault.com/category/all-products ***** This is part 1 of a mini series on times when aviation training was hard, and I thought I wouldn't make it! Here, I give some quick advice on what to do when things get hard and you struggle to understand a concept. Part 2: https://youtube.com/shorts/gzk0uLud2fM?feature=share If you want to have me as your teacher (live & in person!) check out attending where I work: LeTourneau University! I love it here, and you might find it the perfect fit for your aviation career path! More here: https://www.letu.edu/academics/aviation/index.html (and no they did not pay me to make this video!) Visit my website at www.theaviationvault.com to learn much more about aircraft dispatchers, airlines, and dispatch history! Always remember that Laura, when you get right down to it, is just a pilot and a dispatcher. She is explaining facts from the source materials but may be incorrect or out of date. You should always follow your primary guidance (Aircraft manuals, government regulations, etc.) before listening to anything from this YouTube channel. These videos are intended for educational purposes only.

**** New channel merch link! https://www.theaviationvault.com/category/all-products ***** Did you know that TONS of helpful information is in the figure book the FAA test center will give you when you arrive to take the FAA Instrument Written Knowledge Test? Don't miss out on this helpful information and tips on passing your instrument test! Note: I may make a small commission off anything you buy from the affiliate links within this video. Thank you for supporting this channel! Book list: Instrument Rating Test Prep (for the current year) by ASA Check out my other videos covering weather, regulations, airline operations, video tours, instrument flying, and weight and balance calculations! Visit my website at www.theaviationvault.com to learn much more about aircraft dispatchers, airlines, and dispatch history! Always remember that Laura, when you get right down to it, is just a pilot and a dispatcher. She is explaining facts from the source materials but may be incorrect or out of date. You should always follow your primary guidance (Aircraft manuals, government regulations, etc.) before listening to anything from this YouTube channel. These videos are intended for educational purposes only.

**** New channel merch link! https://www.theaviationvault.com/category/all-products ***** This video provides my top reading picks for learning all about instrument flying for budding IFR pilots. Most of these are available through ASA publishing. Note: I may make a small commission off anything you buy from the affiliate links within this video. Thank you for supporting this channel! Sadly, not all are in print, but check ebay or other used book sites! Book list: Instrument Rating Test Prep (for the current year) by ASA Sheppard Air Instrument Rating (not a book but still good) The Pilot's Manual: Instrument Flying by ASA FAR/AIM (for the current year) by ASA Aeronautical Chart User's Guide by ASA or the FAA (PDF: https://www.faa.gov/air_traffic/flight_info/aeronav/digital_products/aero_guide/ Instrument Flying Handbook by ASA or the FAA (PDF: https://www.faa.gov/regulations_policies/handbooks_manuals/aviation scroll down to find it) Instrument Procedures Handbook by ASA or the FAA (PDF: https://www.faa.gov/regulations_policies/handbooks_manuals/aviation) Instrument Pilot Oral Exam Guide by Michael Hayes Severe Weather Flying by Dennis Newton Aviation Weather by Richard Taylor (older book...harder to find) Aviation Weather Handbook by ASA or the FAA (https://www.faa.gov/regulationspolicies/handbooksmanuals/aviation/faa-h-8083-28a-aviation-weather-handbook) Check out my other videos covering weather, regulations, airline operations, video tours, instrument flying, and weight and balance calculations! Visit my website at www.theaviationvault.com to learn much more about aircraft dispatchers, airlines, and dispatch history! Always remember that Laura, when you get right down to it, is just a pilot and a dispatcher. She is explaining facts from the source materials but may be incorrect or out of date. You should always follow your primary guidance (Aircraft manuals, government regulations, etc.) before listening to anything from this YouTube channel. These videos are intended for educational purposes only.

**** New channel merch link! https://www.theaviationvault.com/category/all-products ***** (This is the same as another video I released, but in the YouTube Short format.) As of October 2025, the new Garmin Pilot Web defaults to translating METARs and TAFs, and it seems Garmin Pilot's app does as well. If you don't like this, here are the rather hidden steps to make it stop translating METARs and TAFs! This video covers how to make this stop on both sides including removing decoded METARs and TAFs from trip briefings on the Garmin Pilot app. Check out my other videos covering weather, regulations, airline operations, video tours, instrument flying, and weight and balance calculations! Visit my website at www.theaviationvault.com to learn much more about aircraft dispatchers, airlines, and dispatch history! Always remember that Laura, when you get right down to it, is just a pilot and a dispatcher. She is explaining facts from the source materials but may be incorrect or out of date. You should always follow your primary guidance (Aircraft manuals, government regulations, etc.) before listening to anything from this YouTube channel. These videos are intended for educational purposes only.