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One checklist that works in every airplane

November 27, 2013/in Tips and technique/by studentpltnews

Do you fly the airplane, or is your checklist really the PIC? It may sound funny, but an awful lot of pilots are slaves to their checklists, blindly following them as if it’s a set of assembly instructions for a piece of furniture. You can and should do better.

Getting Back Into Flying

November 18, 2013/in Tips and technique/by studentpltnews

In my position, I talk to all sorts of pilots looking for flight training. The largest group is not Private pilots looking to add an instrument rating, or a brand new student looking to get started in aviation. The largest group is existing pilots who have let their currency lapse – in some cases for […]

One checklist that works in every airplane

November 27, 2013/in Tips and technique/by studentpltnews

Getting Back Into Flying

November 18, 2013/in Tips and technique/by studentpltnews

Full Sized Blog Element (Big Preview Pic)

One checklist that works in every airplane

November 27, 2013/in Tips and technique/by studentpltnews

Do you fly the airplane, or is your checklist really the PIC?

It may sound funny, but an awful lot of pilots are slaves to their checklists, blindly following them as if it’s a set of assembly instructions for a piece of furniture. If the checklist said, “Airplane – Crash Into Ground,” some pilots might follow those directions right to the ground. You can and should do better.

Let’s be clear: there’s nothing wrong with checklists. On the contrary, they are a critical part of safe flying, and even airline pilots with 25,000 hours still religiously follow one on every flight. In fact, pilots’ checklist obsession is starting to be copied by other professions. An influential book, The Checklist Manifesto, argues that checklist discipline can improve safety and efficiency in fields as diverse as banking and medicine.

While checklists are important, it’s critical that you use them the right way: as a check or a backstop against error. It is not a “do list” where you read, then do, then verify. This approach makes you an unthinking computer, instead of an airman with critical thinking skills and context. So next time you’re running a checklist, think–don’t just do.

But that’s just a start. I think there’s an even better way to use checklists: the flow check.

Printed checklists are a good way to stay disciplined, but sometimes they can get in the way. You may get overloaded because of weather, Air Traffic Control, passengers or some mechanical anomaly. At these moments, it’s important to be able to think about your airplane and understand the big picture. That’s why I like flow checks so much; you think about every system in the airplane, but in an organized way.

Start at the left side of the panel and work your way all the way across to the right side, pausing on each switch or gauge to think about what it does and which way it should be set. Check the engine gauges: everything green? Check all the light switches: where they should be? How about the GPS and radios: are they set up properly?

I like to do this after leveling out in cruise, when I have plenty of time to move deliberately. It’s a great way to double check my previous checklist usage and make sure nothing was overlooked. I also do a flow check after shutdown, right before I leave the airplane for the day. It can take 10 minutes or 30 seconds, depending on your airplane and your experience.

What’s so helpful about the flow check is that it can be used in almost every airplane, from a J-3 Cub to a King Air. Especially as you transition into more complex airplanes, it’s easy to get confused or overwhelmed by everything that’s new–avionics, controls, instruments and systems. But the principle of the flow check still holds. The single level throttle may be replaced by six levers in a turboprop, but you do the same procedure: pause and make sure each is where it should be.

The left-to-right flow is a great starting point, but you can also make up your own abbreviated flow checks, too. When I used to fly a Cessna 210, I used a “1, 2, 3 check; 1, 2, 3 check” after takeoff. This meant: gear up, flaps up, cowl flaps open (these three handles were close to each other); and throttle reduced, propeller control reduced, mixture leaned (these three controls were all in a row). If those six things were done, the rest could wait. This easy-to-remember flow saved me more than once in busy airspace, because it was quick and intuitive.

Beyond using flow checks as an everyday procedure, they also make a great training exercise. Sitting in the cockpit–even with the engine off–and going over every part of it in a disciplined way is an excellent way to learn the systems and the layout of the switches.

It’s also a good opportunity to practice your emergency procedures. As you check the ammeter, consider what you would do if it showed a discharge. How about an overcharge situation? This type of “what if” planning isn’t paranoid, it’s safe flying.

Just remember that flow checks are a complement, not a replacement, for printed checklists. Regardless, they can be a great addition to your flying tool kit. More than anything, they keep your head in the game.

So next time you’re droning along with nothing to do, perform a quick flow check. You may catch a mistake, but you’re almost guaranteed to learn something.

Getting Back Into Flying

November 18, 2013/in Tips and technique/by studentpltnews

The largest held misconception about getting back into flying is that you have to take another written exam or another checkride with a Designated Pilot Examiner or the FAA. Others believe that the process will take so long and cost so much that it will be equivalent to learning to fly all over again. For those who might be thinking along those lines, I have great news; the actual requirement is far, far simpler than either of those paths.

All you need to begin flying again is a current Flight Review (every 24 calendar months), recency of experience to carry passengers (if desired) and a current medical certificate.

The Flight Review –

According to FAR 61.56, a flight review consists of a minimum of 1 hour of flight training and 1 hour of ground training. The review must include a review of current general operating and flight rules of FAR Part 91 and a review of those maneuvers and procedures … necessary for the pilot to demonstrate the safe exercise of the privileges of his certificate.

Like all regulations, there is more fine print in the book, along with exceptions for pilots in specific circumstances, but that general paragraph applies to most everyone. As you can see, the Flight Review is not a huge procedure. It simply requires a flight instructor to endorse that you are safe to go flying again. No checkrides. No written exams. No FAA inspectors. Any current CFI that has privileges for your type of flying (Airplane Single Engine Land, Helicopter, Seaplane, etc.) is capable of conducting your Flight Review.

How long your Flight Review will actually last beyond the minimum prescribed time is a function of pilot proficiency and knowledge. There is an old aviation expression about expecting 1 hr of flying for every year of not flying. So if you haven’t flown in 10 years, project 10 hrs to get back in. Although I do not personally subscribe to that formula directly, it is a ballpark that many people use.

Your Flight Review will not be a hazing or tortured experience. The goal of a quality flight instructor conducting a Flight Review is to ensure your safety as a pilot, and to provide a sample review of required knowledge and flight skills. Most instructors will ask about what type of flying you do, what does a typical flight look like, and use these answers to help guide what your review will be focused on.

It doesn’t benefit you or your instructor to spend most of the review focused on ATC communications if you spend all of your time at non-towered airports. Remember that your input is welcome! Pilots should try to highlight areas of flying that they feel need work or haven’t been reviewed in years. Make the Flight Review a great learning experience, not just a regulatory requirement.

Currency Requirements –

According to FAR 61.57, in order to carry passengers you must have completed at least 3 takeoffs and landings within the preceding 90 days. This requirement applies to daytime and will likely be satisfied during the course of your Flight Review. If you are interested in returning to night passenger carrying, remember to conduct those 3 landings at night to a full stop to meet the night passenger carrying requirements. If you are not planning on taking passengers up immediately, this section does not apply to a pilot flying solo.

Medical –

Unless you are planning to return to flying utilizing Sport privileges, you will need to have a current 3^rd class medical certificate for non-commercial operations. Medical certificate durations have changed over the years. Currently according to FAR 61.23, if you are under the age of 40 when you have your medical examination, you have 60 calendar months of privileges. If you are over the age of 40 at the time of the examination, you have 24 calendar months before needing another medical. If you have any questions about the medical requirements, your flight instructor will be able to help you decipher the rules.

These three steps are the only requirements that you need to get back into the world of aviation and begin enjoying your certificate again. Don’t wait another month to get back to it. Now is a great time to start back again.

Safe flying!

Half Sized Blog Element (Single Author Style)

Half Sized Blog Element (Multi Author Style)

One checklist that works in every airplane

Getting Back Into Flying

One checklist that works in every airplane

Getting Back Into Flying

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One checklist that works in every airplane

Getting Back Into Flying

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