Aero-Tips!
A good pilot is always learning -- how many times have you heard
this old standard throughout your flying career? There is no truer
statement in all of flying (well, with the possible exception of
"there are no old, bold pilots.") It's part of what makes aviation
so exciting for all of us... just when you think you've seen it
all, along comes a scenario you've never imagined.
Aero-News has called upon the expertise of Thomas P. Turner,
master CFI and all-around-good-guy, to bring our readers -- and us
-- daily tips to improve our skills as aviators, and as
representatives of the flying community. Some of them, you may have
heard before... but for each of us, there will also be something we
might never have considered before, or something that didn't
"stick" the way it should have the first time we memorized it for
the practical test.
It is our unabashed goal that "Aero-Tips" will help our readers
become better, safer pilots -- as well as introducing our
ground-bound readers to the concepts and principles that keep those
strange aluminum-and-composite contraptions in the air... and allow
them to soar magnificently through it.
Look for our daily Aero-Tips segments, coming each day to you
through the Aero-News Network. Suggestions for future Aero-Tips are
always welcome, as are additions or discussion of each day's tips.
Remember... when it comes to being good pilots, we're all in this
together.
Aero-Tips 01.15.06
Pilots are achievers.
We’re energized when we strive for a goal. So what happens
when we reach our target? How can we remain enthused and active as
pilots?
In my first CFI job I noticed newly minted Private Pilots often
took friends flying often for a few weeks, but then many would
drift away from the airport. Without a new, clear goal in mind,
they lacked focus and interest waned.
Post-Graduate Flying
Not everyone wants to pursue advanced ratings or certificates --
look at the apparent interest in Sport Pilot. Back in my early CFI
days I recognized this, and came up with Post-Graduate Flying, a
menu of short instructional programs to improve safety and build on
skills honed to (at least minimum) standards for the Private
checkride—and to give new Private pilots a goal.
A Post-Graduate Flying selection might include:
- Class B operations. Spend time reviewing Class
B procedures, then fly to Class B primary and satellite airports,
emphasizing navigation and radio procedure.
- Night flight. Review regulations and put together a
night-flying kit. Discuss dark-night flight, lost-horizon night
flight over water or sparsely populated areas, and “black
hole” airports. Talk about pilot-controlled lighting,
part-time control towers, and after-hours fuel considerations. Fly
some night cross-countries.
- Low-altitude navigation. Cover regulations,
preflight planning, reading the sectional chart, and memory items
of the airplane’s emergency checklists--problems at these
altitudes leave little time to act. Then fly, practicing
finger-on-the-sectional navigation (for the day the GPS quits),
unusual visual cues at low altitude, difficulty in seeing towers
even on clear days, and the challenge in finding an airport from
low altitude. Review the need to avoid populated areas and keep a
constant lookout for emergency landing zones. The goal is to
convince a pilot of the hazards of scud-running before he/she
ventures out alone on a bad day.
- Emergency IFR. Enhanced study and practice of
instrument flight procedures, including how to fly an ILS and, if
equipped, use of an autopilot. The goal is to develop skills to use
in a dire emergency, although it is also a good lead-in to the
instrument rating.
- Commercial maneuvers. Similarly, discussion
and practice of the so-called commercial flight maneuvers is a
great way to build on Private pilot skills, and may serve as
encouragement to continue training.
Aero-Tip of the day: Pilots need a
goal. Post-Graduate Flying is a good way for pilots to remain
enthused about aviation, and for instructors to encourage continued
refinement of Private pilot skills.