Flight Training - November/December 2022 - 13

ASI TIPS
BY TERRIE MEAD
'TWAS THE FLIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS
ARE YOUR HOLIDAY PLANS FLEXIBLE?
Consider factors that will affect your
aircraft, like maintenance and weight and
balance; or yourself, like stress, fatigue,
and medications; or your route, like
weather, traffic, and flight restrictions.
You do not have to love change; no one
loves change. But if your VFR flight stumbles
into instrument conditions, concede
to the shifting conditions. Lean into them,
and respond as if your life depends on it,
because it does. Complacency is lethal.
Similarly, admit when circumstances-
THE HOLIDAYS SIMULTANEOUSLY EVOKE JOY AND PANIC, NO MATTER OUR DEGREE OF
participation. For many of us, this mindset becomes our baseline from mid-November
to the first of the year. Add to that the focus and readiness required of a pilot planning
and flying home in their beloved airborne sedan, and that baseline holiday pressure is
amplified manyfold. Change-averse pilots are bound to get tripped up if they resist the
wisdom of flexibility.
Learn to avoid common missteps. Be present. Be adaptable. Proper preflight preparation
means maintaining an awareness of the variables that will affect your plans.
SAFETY SPOTLIGHT: PERSONAL MINIMUMS
We each bring unique experiences to the cockpit, making
what may be perfectly safe operations for one pilot hazardous
for another. How do we decide what is safe for us? Write up a
personal minimums contract and honor that contract each time
you fly.
airsafetyinstitute.org/dtrt/personalminimums
be they physical or aeronautical-fall
outside your personal minimums, and
make a go/no go judgment based on those
minimums, not on your plan.
That means practicing proactive planning;
it is more than mitigating risks. It is
envisioning a future and quickly adapting
to that outcome. Do you want to arrive
safely at Grandma's house on Thanksgiving
Day? Don't plan for conditions that
resemble your previous flights, be attentive
to how this trip will be different from
the last: winter weather, added weight
from gift giving and receiving, time pressures,
fatigue, and peripheral stressors.
Change is the only constant, philosopher
Heraclitus wrote. Fly confidently home for
the holidays knowing your adventure will
bring unique challenges. Plan accordingly.
terrie.mead@aopa.org
airsafetyinstitute.org/spotlight/
dotherightthing
WEATHER WISE: PRECIPITATION AND ICING
Cold temperatures, low clouds, precipitation, and
icing present unique challenges for general aviation
pilots. Precipitation can quickly change from visual
into instrument meteorological conditions, so it's
paramount to conduct thorough preflight planning
that includes at least two backup plans-and to stay
alert to changing conditions while in flight.
airsafetyinstitute.org/spotlight/precipandicing
FLIGHT TRAINING NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2022
13
CHRIS ROSE

http://www.airsafetyinstitute.org/spotlight/dotherlghtthing http://www.airsafetyinstitute.org/spotlight/dotherlghtthing http://www.airsafetyinstitute.org/dtrt/personalminimums http://www.airsafetyinstitute.org/spotlight/precipandicing

Flight Training - November/December 2022

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