AOPA can help you brush up your flying skills
While winter flying certainly has its rewards--the climb performance of my Cessna 172 is at its peak when flying in the cold, dense, dry air--it also brings a lot of challenges. As I write this, parts of New York are buried under more than 12 feet of snow. Cold-soaked aircraft engines don't want to start. The preflight can be bitterly cold, so cold that student and instructor must warm up with a cup of hot coffee before proceeding to the Before Engine Start checklist. Other parts of the country have experienced fog, heavy rain, and severe thunderstorms.
Whether the weather has had you grounded for a few days, a few months, or not at all, springtime is a great time to tune up your flying skills. AOPA and the AOPA Air Safety Foundation (ASF) have some tools that are perfect to help you achieve that goal.
If you have not taken any of ASF's acclaimed online courses, that's a great place to start. Several courses are particularly relevant to student pilots:
GPS for VFR Operations. Most new aircraft--even popular training models--are being delivered with sophisticated glass cockpits (see "Glass Class," p. 32), and many trainers feature at least a basic Global Positioning System (GPS) navigation receiver in the panel. This course explains how GPS works and shows how you can use it to make your next VFR flight safer and more efficient.
Runway Safety. Even if you're training at a nontowered airport, you'll likely visit a busy, towered facility sometime--at least once if you're training for the private pilot certificate. Knowledge of safe ground operations will help you to avoid a runway incursion, a significant but unnecessary risk.
Know Before You Go. Are you up to speed on airspace regulations? They're a hot topic these days. Learn where to find the information that you need to fly safely.
Mountain Flying. This course is an eye-opener when it comes to operations at high density altitudes. You'll benefit from this course even if you live in the flatlands and have no immediate plans to fly near any mountains.
Each of these interactive online courses can be completed in 45 to 60 minutes, and can be found on the ASF Web site.
Brand-new on the site are Real Pilot Stories. These are true accounts of good flights gone bad, told by the pilots themselves, so that the rest of us can learn from their mistakes and become better pilots. Consider the following, which you can find online.
Snake in the Airplane. This is not the fictional film starring Samuel L. Jackson, but a recounting of a true event in a small airplane like the ones we fly. "I learned firsthand the other day about maintaining your concentration on flying an airplane irregardless of what is happening around you," says pilot Monty Coles. "Whatever happens, always fly the airplane first," he says in the online feature, which runs slightly longer than two minutes. The feature offers a link to more information about spring preflight considerations.
Mountain Crash. A pilot and his passenger survive a high-density-altitude accident in Bonners Ferry, Idaho. "The crash was a problem of situational awareness and density altitude," explains pilot Jacob Bushnell. Insufficient planning for the local flight, and the pilot's desire to impress the friend who was his passenger for the flight, contributed to the mishap.
Online publications, articles, and compilations offer information on any aviation subject you may wish to research.
All pilots can benefit from a review of aircraft preflight skills. What are the telltale signs that a bird is using an aircraft as its nesting ground? A bird's nest can render an airplane unairworthy in no time.
If you're in the solo stage of your training--or already have a pilot certificate--challenge yourself on a breezy day to brush up on your crosswind landing techniques. Your flight instructor will be glad to accompany you.
Certificated pilots, evaluate your personal flight minimums and limitations--what weather conditions will you accept to comfortably complete a flight? Personal minimums are a great tool for avoiding "get-there-itis" and other external pressures. Personal minimums that are higher than the FAA's minimums, especially early in the flying season if you haven't flown much recently, are a sign of a responsible pilot.
Of course, all of AOPA Flight Training Online's resources for student pilots--organized by your stage of flight training--await your reference online. These resources are among the many benefits of your AOPA membership. Take advantage of them and get your flying season off to a great start.
