Over the course of your flight training, you’ll spend a lot of time learning how to fly safely and competently. That’s important, but it shouldn’t be your sole focus as you grow and mature as a pilot. Learning to fly “comfortably” should be up there on the list as well as one of your top priorities, especially as you graduate to flying passengers.

When you take passengers up for a flight, especially if they’ve never been in a small airplane before, comfort is a major determinant of how much they will enjoy the experience. They expect you to be safe, but minimizing the bumps so they can enjoy the sights will keep them coming back. It is also much less fatiguing when you’re coasting along in smooth air.

If you’ve ever talked to a professional pilot or heard them on the radio, you know how much effort they put into finding a smooth ride. They’re routinely reviewing pilot reports and asking Air Traffic Control (ATC) for reports of turbulence, and they’ll go so far as to change their route of flight or altitude fairly dramatically to find smooth air.

In general aviation (GA) airplanes, we don’t worry much about the jet stream or mountain waves at 37,000 feet. Instead, we need to look for visual cues as to the smoothness of the air. As a first clue, consider the height of haze layer. This concept is incredibly important for light GA airplanes, but it’s rarely taught as a part of primary training even though it’s present almost every day of the year.

If you climb out on a typical summer day, you’ll bump along for the first 5,000 feet in hazy air. Then, if you’re paying attention, you’ll notice there’s almost a line in the sky, above which is clear blue sky and below is murky. That’s the top of the haze layer, and below it you’ll almost always find a few bumps and restricted visibility. Above it will most likely be smooth air and a nice ride.

In the cooler seasons, you may find the top of the haze layer as low as 1,500 feet. But in Texas in the summer, it might be 9,000 feet, and it rises as the day heats up. Make it a habit to find this layer and plan to cruise above it (if possible) when you’re flying cross-country.

Secondly, pay attention to the strength of the surface winds. Strong winds by themselves don’t necessarily mean turbulence, but gusty winds almost always do. This is usually the worst within a few thousand feet of the surface, so again, higher is better.

In particular, watch for those gusty days following the passage of a cold front. The combination of cooler air overrunning warm ground and a wind shift often make for a bumpy takeoff and landing.

If you fly in Kansas, you may not worry much about hills and mountains, but if you fly in Colorado, it should be very high on your list. The combination of strong winds or full sun over uneven terrain can create some memorable turbulence, so be alert if your departure or destination airport takes you over rugged terrain.

The next weather phenomenon to consider is thermals. Ever flown over a large, paved parking lot? Then you’ve experienced thermals–the rising columns of air that are created by the sun’s heating of the earth and then the release of that heat back into the atmosphere. Large, flat, dark spaces like parking lots and freshly plowed fields are the best thermal creators. Conversely, wooded areas don’t absorb as much heat.

Finally, you should pay attention to the shapes of clouds.  If you’re a VFR pilot, you shouldn’t be flying through any clouds, so why should you care what they look like? The type of clouds, particularly whether they’re cumulus or stratus, is a good indicator of the stability of the air aloft. And stability is what we’re really talking about with most turbulence.

Big, billowing cumulus clouds usually mean there’s some lifting action in the atmosphere, while flat stratus clouds often indicate more stable air. If you’re an instrument rated pilot, consider the cloud type before you go busting through them. Remember, just because you’re legal to fly through clouds doesn’t mean you have to.

None of these factors are necessarily dangerous, so just because there’s a breeze doesn’t mean you need to cancel your flight. But consider your route of flight, your altitude and your passengers. A few adjustments, or even just a good pre-takeoff briefing to set expectations can make a difference.

If you do encounter turbulence, be careful not to fight the bumps. While you want to maintain positive control of the airplane at all times, don’t make it worse by over-controlling. Fly a basic attitude and let the natural waves in the air do what they will.

One other thing you can change is the time of day you fly. A constant throughout this list is that morning flights are usually smoother; the thermals haven’t built up yet, the wind usually isn’t as strong, and the haze layer may be lower.

Sometimes, there are pretty obvious cues that it isn’t the day for your checkride. As a DPE, I hear all kinds of justifications for why someone is choosing to go forward with the test on a particular day. In too many instances, the logic of the justification should be a pretty good cue that rescheduling would actually be a better choice.

Here are a few I heard over the past 12 months used as justification for “I’m gonna do my checkride today no matter what.”

If I don’t get the checkride done today, I won’t be able to fly my family on the vacation we have planned for tomorrow.

I can’t help but think that if you are trying to force your checkride on a marginal weather day or if you aren’t really ready yet but are going to give it a try just because you have a trip planned to fly your family the next day, it might be time to hit pause. It might even be an indicator to the DPE that you are going to make such pressured decisions after the checkride also.
Get-there-itis also applies to checkrides, not just your flying after you are certificated. But if you are willing to let it affect your checkride, you are probably pretty likely to let it affect you in your flying later as well.

My parents say I have to have this done today.

Are you really ready to be the PIC if you are having your parents make the decisions for you about flying? I get it. Parental pressure to get your training done can be strong, but the DPE is there to see if you are ready to make good PIC decisions, as the pilot, not your parents.

If your parents putting pressure on you to get the test done is forcing you to do the test in conditions that are not suitable, you should be having a conversation with your parents about what you have learned about making good go-no-go flying decisions instead of telling the DPE that your parents really want you to take the test today.

I don’t have anywhere to live here if I don’t get this done today.

This reason to do a test has been given to me more times than it should have been! People who have already moved out of their apartment or house and generally are out of time and who have to go “back home” right after the checkride fall into this category.

Good pilots always have an “out” planned—an alternate option. I have on numerous occasions had people try to do their checkrides with all their belongings packed in their car or moving van just because they left it to the last minute and now had to move out. Give yourself extra time if you have an upcoming checkride to deal with schedule changes, bad weather, or other unforeseen delays.
This pressure point can be especially present when you are traveling to complete training. Be ready if you are doing this to stay longer, return at another time to complete training, or find a test back where you are from if you run into training delays.

I already told a job I have a commercial pilot certificate and start tomorrow, so I need to do it.

Well, telling the DPE you lied to your next employer isn’t really a great way to start off the checkride. And it probably wasn’t a great way to start off that job, either. Especially if anything at all delays you from getting that practical test done.

Putting the pressure to do a test as a make-or-break moment for your next job puts a lot of pressure on your practical test.

I’m out of money. All I have left is enough to do my checkride.

I get it, flight training is expensive. The good news is that the career path repayment on the investment in aviation as a professional career is one of the best out there. And with recent hiring booms, it is even faster than ever with higher pay and big signing bonuses. But that doesn’t solve the immediate problem if someone has no access to additional funds to finish their training or checkride. Delays in training, staying current while waiting for a checkride, and weather delays are just a few of the potential hiccups that can delay, extend, or expand training footprints. With that many times comes extra cost.

In some cases, folks end up pausing their training before they can finish up. We all hope that isn’t necessary, but that might be the best choice sometimes instead of trying to take a checkride when you aren’t really ready. That can result in added costs also.

I’m not telling you that everyone that used one of these justifications didn’t pass. Some did, some didn’t. But I know that the passing probability will not likely increase with added pressures. There is enough of that already in the fact that you are taking a test.

If you do proceed forward with a test with any of these or other handicaps already identified, you will get a fair shake from a DPE. However, they can’t stretch the standards because of conditions or circumstances. You will have to perform to the same standards despite any outside pressures as you would if you did it on a day when these pressures were not present.

I will always encourage any practical test applicant to do their test on a day and in conditions they are confident that they will be able to perform within ACS/PTS standards. Don’t leave passing your test up to luck. If you find yourself on a day where the weather is questionable, the aircraft is experiencing any challenges, or you aren’t feeling up to the IMSAFE checklist, perhaps it’s time to push the pause button and reset for another day.

The pressure to get a checkride done can be significant. Show the examiner that you will make good PIC decisions before you even start by not starting when you shouldn’t.