Some things never change - no matter how 'creative' we are and it behooves us to listen to history.
- Aeronautical Decision Making (see CRM and SRM)
- Altitude = Airspeed
- Altitude is life
- Always care about your pre-flight
- Avoid roads unless zero other options
- Checklists: do them. Do what you say, say what you do.
- Compliance Philosophy (FAA)
- Decision Making (see CRM and SRM)
- Emergencies, the "5 Nevers" (see Emergencies)
- Engine Failures (see Emergencies)
- Fly the aircraft until its chocked
- Flying, the "5 Nevers"
- You never have to takeoff
- Never takeoff without seeing the fuel
- Never takeoff without using the checklists
- Never determine you "have to get "there"
- You never have to land on this approach
- Fuel: know your fuel reserves – day/night, VFR/IFR
- Going around – if you have power and fuel, it’s always an option
- Heavily loaded airplanes are different beasts
- Increased angle of bank = increased stall speed
- Instinct isn't always your friend
- Landing
- Always plan on 1) landing and 2) going around
- Don’t force an airplane to land
- Max crosswind component exists for a reason
- Only mix water with float airplanes
- Personal: if there is anything making you hesitant to fly…speak up! There’s always another day.
- Plan, Brief, Do, Review, Renew (with anything)
- Poor judgement can overcome great skill.
- References: if you’re referencing study material that isn’t in the FAR or AIM or from an FAA source (such as this website), always cross-check it.
- Situational awareness doesn’t care if you’re in the air or on the ground.
- See more on SA in Resource Management.
- Responsibility
- Take personal responsibility for your flights/checkrides. Yes, your instructor is accountable for what and how he/she teaches you, but no one can make you study and/or prepare. This goes hand-in-hand with the PIC mentality. YOU ARE taking the airplane’s book. YOU ARE doing the walk-around. YOU ARE flying the airplane. The sooner you act like the other person is your spouse, significant other, friend, someone who can give you zero assistance, the better off and prepared you’ll be…for anything.
- Stalls
- Climbing turns: high wing stalls first
- Descending turns: low wing stalls first
- Task Saturation – fall back on a ladder of priorities
- Attain & maintain flying airspeed
- Communicate
- Ensure a clear flight path
- Fly airplane to proper position
- Work avionics and other cockpit technology
- Traffic pattern - never underestimate it
- Treat every propeller like a live one
- Turbulence? Always a good idea to slow down
- VMC into IMC (have a plan)
- What are you doing now? What will you do next? What will you do after that?
- Why good pilots makes bad decisions:
- Wired to make quick assessment, tag it with emotion, made decision, and move on
- We’re inclined to stick with a decision once made
- We’ve done this before (history)
- Self-interest (emotional bond) to stick with it which leads to
- Discounting adverse information (resistance to change)
- Wings always stall at the same angle of attack
- Weather: If the WX makes you nervous, what makes you think the flight will calm your nerves?
- Weight, balance, performance: before every flight
- FIG -
