Student status: When you can't keep up with instructions from air traffic controllers or briefings from flight service stations, let them know you're a student. You can identify yourself on initial callup. For example, "Metropolis approach, November-seven-two-three-six-Whisky, student pilot." This is one place where student status can work to your advantage. Once they know that you're just learning, controllers and briefers will usually slow down and spend a little extra time with you. It will help you to learn what's going on while avoiding misunderstandings.
Shut the door: If a door ever pops open during takeoff, as they sometimes do, you may find yourself fighting to get it closed again, a potentially dangerous situation as you struggle with the door when you should be flying the airplane. The most important thing to remember is that you won't fall out, so ignore the open door until you've reached a safe altitude. Then, instead of wrestling with the door, open a window to allow the air pressure in the cabin and the air pressure outside to equalize. The door should close without a problem. But, if it doesn't, don't waste your energy or concentration fighting it. Fly the airplane, and land at the nearest airport. Then you can close and latch the door while you're safely on the ground. In case of emergency: You know where the pilot?s operating handbook (POH) is located in the cockpit, and you've read the emergency section over a few times, usually on the ground. To find the emergency section easily when you need it, mark it with a brightly colored sticky note before your flight. Better yet, include emergency procedures on your checklist. That way, the information that you need is always easily accessible. On one of those washed-out days when no one's flying, read your airplane's POH and get to know it. A simulated or real emergency is not the time to browse through it looking for answers.
Making your own waypoint: You can use a VOR station as a waypoint even when it's not on your flight path. Lets say that your cross-country course puts a VOR station a dozen or more miles off to the side of your flight path. Plot a perpendicular line from the VOR to your course, measure the distance between that intersection and your course, and mark it on your chart. Then tune your VOR receiver to that radial. When you cross that point in your flight path, the VOR needle will swing from one side of the dial to the other. When the needle shuttles across the dial, you will know where you are and how much farther you have to go.
Blowing static away: If your headset suddenly becomes noisy and the sound of static is ringing in your ears, the problem may not be your squelch control. Sound-activated microphones can be triggered by a stiff breeze from a cabin air vent or air leak. Try reducing the flow of air or turning the vent to blow air away from your face.
Alpha, Bravo, Charlie: Keep your phonetic alphabet skills in top form by practicing on the ground. Try playing the alphabet game with license plates and road signs as you drive. When you pass that van with BVE 879 on the plates, say it out loud: Bravo-Victor-Echo-Eight-Seven-Niner. It won't take long before the letter codes are rolling off your tongue. Celsius to Fahrenheit: People who routinely use the metric system know how cold two degrees Celsius is. The rest of us use either conversion charts or the mathematical equation to come up with the answer. For a quicker approximation, double the temperature in Celsius and add 30. Your estimate will be very close and you won't have to resort to a calculator. Water or ice? If you run into rain when you're flying and begin to wonder whether you've got water or ice on your wings, you can make a quick check. The relative wind will blow water droplets backward. If those beads on your wings aren't moving, chances are good that the precipitation is freezing on contact. Keep an eye on the outside temperature gauge, but remember that the aircraft skin temperature may actually be lower than the air temperature.
What did they say? During pre- and postflight sessions with your instructor, take notes to study later. You're going to hear many gems of wisdom. Writing them down makes them available later for review. After all, there's nothing more useless than good advice given only to be forgotten when you need it most.
