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.")

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. 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.

Look for our daily Aero-Tips segments, coming each day to you through the Aero-News Network.

Aero-Tips 10.01.06

Airmanship is a quality we all strive to achieve and display in our flying. It's an unusual word, one without a common-use definition outside the context of aviation. So what is meant by "airmanship"?

Webster's defines (aren't these things always supposed to start "Webster's defines...?) airmanship as "skill in piloting or navigating airplanes." Not to slight our glider, lighter-than-air or powered lift friends, we'll extend this definition to include those aircraft as well.

But airmanship is not pass/fail. There are specific qualities that define whether a pilot (or other crewmember) exhibits "skill" in aircraft. The FAA's Airplane Flying Handbook defines the qualities of airmanship in its opening paragraphs-setting the tone for the entire publication aimed at creating airmen and airwomen (I wholeheartedly believe in equality, but still like the honorifics "aviator" and "aviatrix").

The AFH says good airmanship includes:

• A sound acquaintance with the principles of flight,
• The ability to operate an air[craft] with competence and precision both on the ground and in the air, and
• The exercise of sound judgment that results in optimal operational safety and efficiency.

Prepare for every flight by asking yourself to honestly evaluate your airmanship based on the three characteristics identified above. Conduct your flights and make decisions en route taking into account the airmanship reflected in your actions. End each flight with a conscious post-brief to review areas and events when you displayed good airmanship, and instances when you could have done better-and will do better next time.

Aero-tip of the day: Strive to use good airmanship, and evaluate every flight in terms of the airmanship you display.

FMI: Aero-Tips