CHIEF'S CORNER home patch. Or we could have gone north to another nearby airport. We weren't boxed in without any alternatives. Initially my student was uncomfortable with the haze and flying over the clouds. But after explaining how to do it safely and pointing out the various outs THE ONLY OTHER THING THAT WOULD HAVE and our options, she BEEN GOOD TO INCLUDE WAS HOW TO TELL replaced the initial OTHER PILOTS WHAT WE WERE EXPERIENCING fear with a respect BY MAKING A PILOT REPORT. for summertime haze and how to deal with it. And she got to experience what it looks like to see the clouds below you when you're flying the airplane and not just riding in Seat 17F. The only other thing that would have been good to include was how to tell other pilots what we were experiencing by making a pilot report. We'll do that on the next flight. John Collins is the AOPA Air Safety Institute's chief flight instructor and manager of aviation safety programs. Before joining ASI, John was AOPA's manager of airport policy. He earned his flight instructor certificate in 1996 and enjoys seeing students light up when they put it all together and nail a maneuver. Email: john.collins@aopa.org Pireps Made Easy Teach your students how to get, use, and give pilot reports. PIREPs are used by more than just pilots. ATC uses them to re-route traffic. Forecasters also use them to validate weather, which helps them issue, cancel, or change sigmets. And weather researchers use them to develop and test new weather models. We often think of PIREPs as reporting the conditions at a point in space. But you can also file a Route PIREP to describe the conditions between two or more points and look for route reports when searching PIREPs. Learn more in this Safety Spotlight. What did you do while you weren't flying to maintain your flying skills? LET US KNOW by sending your comments to cfinewsletter@aopa.org. I hope to see you in the traffic pattern soon enjoying our freedom to fly!https://www.aopa.org/training-and-safety/online-learning/safety-spotlights/pireps-made-easy/ https://www.aopa.org/training-and-safety/online-learning/safety-spotlights/pireps-made-easy/