Flight Training - November/December 2023 - 18

PREFLIGHT AFTER THE CHECKRIDE
BY ALEXANDER SACK
AVIATE, NAVIGATE, SIMULATE
BE PREPARED BEFORE YOU GET IN THE AIR
SIMULATOR TRAINING IS AN EXTREMELY
valuable training tool for staying proficient,
and having access to even a basic
home sim can revolutionize your preflight
planning. My home setup has the
standard trifecta of a yoke, throttle, and
rudder controller that can be had for a
few hundred bucks (even cheaper if you
buy used).
For my birthday, I decided to fly to
Morrisville/Stowe State Airport (MVL)
in Vermont. The mission: Heady Topper
(beer). A day before my scheduled departure,
I anxiously checked the forecast,
and soon came to the startling conclusion
that my wife had paid Mother Nature off
as a surprise birthday present since three
high-pressure systems were hovering
over New England and it was severe clear
all the way up.
When I looked at the sectional,
however, things started to get interesting:
MVL is surrounded by terrain (loads
18
FLIGHT TRAINING NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2023
of it). No problem, this airport must
have approaches that can help me get
down without smashing into the side of
a mountain. The winds were out of the
north so I expected I would be landing
on Runway 1. An RNAV-A approach
looked promising, but it contained several
step-downs and turns to avoid those
pesky mountains. Another option would
be to fly past the airport and enter the
traffic pattern from the north.
In these kinds of situations, having
my basic home flight sim setup can prove
to be invaluable. Here's what I did: I
loaded up the last leg of my trip into the
sim. I then proceeded not only to fly that
leg but to survey the whole area, virtually,
to familiarize myself with the terrain
and important landmarks.
For instance, the sectional shows the
Waterbury towers as a visual waypoint,
and in the sim the towers provided an
excellent reference to use to get in and
out of MVL. So, I added it to my real
flight plan. When I saw those towers
during the actual flight, I knew exactly
where to turn my head to see the airport.
And there it was.
You might point out that a home
flight sim may not generate scenery accurately,
which could lead to expectation
bias during the actual flight. No argument
from me. Using a flight simulator to
familiarize yourself with unfamiliar territory
is analogous to getting a weather
briefing; it's not going to be completely
accurate all of the time, but it will give
you a synoptic view of the overall landscape
and help you devise alternative
plans when the unexpected arises.
I believe every GA pilot should
incorporate flight sim both in proficiency
training as well as in their preflight
planning. By practicing flights at home,
you will be better prepared in the air, and
that can save your life one day.
MIKE FIZER

Flight Training - November/December 2023

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Flight Training - November/December 2023

Contents
Flight Training - November/December 2023 - Intro
Flight Training - November/December 2023 - Cover1
Flight Training - November/December 2023 - Cover2
Flight Training - November/December 2023 - Contents
Flight Training - November/December 2023 - 2
Flight Training - November/December 2023 - 3
Flight Training - November/December 2023 - 4
Flight Training - November/December 2023 - 5
Flight Training - November/December 2023 - 6
Flight Training - November/December 2023 - 7
Flight Training - November/December 2023 - 8
Flight Training - November/December 2023 - 9
Flight Training - November/December 2023 - 10
Flight Training - November/December 2023 - 11
Flight Training - November/December 2023 - 12
Flight Training - November/December 2023 - 13
Flight Training - November/December 2023 - 14
Flight Training - November/December 2023 - 15
Flight Training - November/December 2023 - 16
Flight Training - November/December 2023 - 17
Flight Training - November/December 2023 - 18
Flight Training - November/December 2023 - 19
Flight Training - November/December 2023 - 20
Flight Training - November/December 2023 - 21
Flight Training - November/December 2023 - 22
Flight Training - November/December 2023 - 23
Flight Training - November/December 2023 - 24
Flight Training - November/December 2023 - 25
Flight Training - November/December 2023 - 26
Flight Training - November/December 2023 - 27
Flight Training - November/December 2023 - 28
Flight Training - November/December 2023 - 29
Flight Training - November/December 2023 - 30
Flight Training - November/December 2023 - 31
Flight Training - November/December 2023 - 32
Flight Training - November/December 2023 - 33
Flight Training - November/December 2023 - 34
Flight Training - November/December 2023 - 35
Flight Training - November/December 2023 - 36
Flight Training - November/December 2023 - 37
Flight Training - November/December 2023 - 38
Flight Training - November/December 2023 - 39
Flight Training - November/December 2023 - 40
Flight Training - November/December 2023 - 41
Flight Training - November/December 2023 - 42
Flight Training - November/December 2023 - 43
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Flight Training - November/December 2023 - 46
Flight Training - November/December 2023 - 47
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Flight Training - November/December 2023 - 49
Flight Training - November/December 2023 - 50
Flight Training - November/December 2023 - 51
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Flight Training - November/December 2023 - 53
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Flight Training - November/December 2023 - 55
Flight Training - November/December 2023 - 56
Flight Training - November/December 2023 - Cover3
Flight Training - November/December 2023 - Cover4
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