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 better pilots, we're all in this together.

Aero-Tips 04.22.06

When we think about conditions that make us temporarily unfit to fly, we usually come up with a list of diseases and serious medical conditions like intestinal troubles or sinus headaches. We don’t typically consider relatively minor injuries that might permit flight under normal circumstances, but which could contribute to disaster if we face an unusual situation.

A pilot recently described a situation he had faced.  A few days after pulling a muscle in his back, he decided he could take himself off pain medications and fly. His first indication that all was not as it might be was when he got into the airplane—the manipulations necessary to enter the aircraft came with a good bit of difficulty. He settled into the pilot seat all right, however, and didn’t give it another thought until he entered light turbulence. The jarring caused sharp pains in his still-injured back, making control difficult and undoubtedly clouding his judgment.  He found it very hard to twist and reach into his flight bag for instrument approach plates. After landing he realized if he had a landing gear problem he probably could not have activated the emergency extension system; after landing he likely could not have evacuated quickly on the ground if the need arose.

He thought he was fit to fly because he was nearly symptom-free and weaned from medication. What he didn’t take into account was that seemingly minor medical inconveniences on the ground can have a dramatic impact when exposed to the rigors of flight.

Aero-tip of the day: When self-certifying your medical condition for a specific flight, consider the added effects the flight environment might have on your physical condition.

FMI: Aero-Tips