Flight Training - August 2011 - 40

Ask and you shall achieve. What lies

between Point A and Point B on a crosscountry trip? Dozens of tasks, each of which you will need to anticipate before you actually undertake them. By repeatedly asking yourself, “What’s next?” you’ll avoid surprises and be ready for each chore well before it must be accomplished. You have finish your runup and are moments away from takeoff. What’s next after liftoff? Have you thought about how you will exit the pattern and intercept your course? You capture your course and are confidently climbing to your cruise altitude. The What’s next? question will remind you of an upcoming radio call, perhaps to activate your flight plan or request flight following. Once prompted, you can place the needed frequency in standby if you did not do so on the ground. During the cruise portion of your flight, you will certainly concentrate on tracking

your course and holding your altitude. Yet, the major events of this phase will probably involve radio operation, landmark recognition, and heading and altitude changes. What’s next? might prompt you to tune and identify a VOR radial, track a radial, contact a radar facility, or begin a descent to duck under Class B airspace. What’s next? can also help you navigate more precisely. Say you’re approaching a turn point along your route. Well aware of your upcoming heading change, you begin to turn a quarter-mile before you reach your waypoint. In this way, you will roll out precisely on your new course, rather than overshoot it slightly. By increasing your awareness and precision, the What’s next? prompt will make your cross-country flying more enjoyable. To recognize forthcoming tasks, one by one, and accomplish them efficiently produces a sense that you have the flight completely under control. This sense of

well-being will allow you to relax, think clearly, and savor the sights passing below.
If a, then b; if c, then d. There may be times

when you will be unable to easily predict your next move, when changing circumstances will require careful decision making. At such times, you may need to ask a different question: What if ? Say the clouds ahead appear to be descending. You call for a weather update and determine that, so far, your safety is not threatened. But What if the clouds continue to descend? Option A: If the clouds reach no lower than 2,000 feet agl, you will press on, but you will need to fly through, rather than above, the Class D airspace down the road. That means radio communication will be required. You preset the frequency of the control tower and monitor the automatic terminal information service (ATIS).

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Flight Training - August 2011

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Flight Training - August 2011