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.")
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master CFI and all-around-good-guy, to bring our readers -- and us
-- daily tips to improve our skills as aviators. Some of them, you
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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.
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Aero-Tips 12.19.06
I ran into an acquaintance at a Wichita-area airport over the
weekend. He owns a fixed gear, four-seat airplane, and in the
course of our conversation he told me he's planning a flight to
Myrtle Beach, SC next summer. A VFR-only pilot in a comfortable but
not terribly fast airplane, he is concerned that he may have
trouble getting all the way to the Atlantic coast and back in the
time he can allot to the trip. Seven months before the flight, he's
already getting stressed about possible weather issues. I suggested
a simple strategy to reduce his stress during the actual
flight.
Hub-hopping
Wichita is served by a low-cost airline that often has good
rates even on walk-up airfares. I suggested that, in addition to
plotting a nearly direct flight from Wichita to Myrtle Beach and
back, that he also plan a route that takes him from one airport to
another that is served by that low-cost carrier. On the day of the
trip, if there's the slightest doubt whether he'll be able to fly
VFR all the way to destination, he can instead fly the
airline-based route. That way, if the weather closes in, he can
abort the personal aviation option and board the airline to
destination. On the return trip, buy a ticket back to where he left
the airplane or, if adverse weather is still a factor, buy a ticket
all the way home and plan to go back after the airplane later.
I'm not suggesting he necessarily try to fly into, for instance,
Atlanta's Hartsfield Airport in his personal airplane. But he can
plan to fly as close as makes sense, depending on ground
transportation to the commercial airport if needed.
Potentially expensive, sure, but knowing the airline option
exists may make it far less tempting to press on in deteriorating
conditions.
Another backup strategy
I've had a number of students over the years who routinely buy
fully refundable airline tickets for every "gotta be there" flight
they plan to take by personal airplane. Most pilots in this
category are flying highly capable, multiengine airplanes on
income-generating business trips. Missing a meeting or failing to
satisfy a customer could cost millions of dollars, making it
extremely tempting to make an ill-advised "go" decision unless
there is a solid backup. If the pilot, the weather or the airplane
is unfit for flight, just drive to the commercial airport and use
the ticket. Same goes for the trip home.
In most cases the personal aviation flight goes as planned, and
the pilot cashes in the refundable ticket. But it's always there if
needed -- a valuable stress reduction.
Aero-tip of the day: Get creative with ways to
reduce your stress level when it comes to making go/no-go
decisions.