neglecting the basics?

Failure to regularly use checklists is one of the biggest deficiencies. Then there is the issue of prioritization. We all know the aviate-navigate-communicate mandate, but a harried pilot tooling along at 200 knots and dealing with a complicated clearance change in a terminal area can all too often dwell on talking with ATC. That’s when aviating and navigating suffer.

We also seem to have problems managing the airplane’s energy during arrival and approach procedures, and ending up too high and/or fast at target fixes. For those of us flying with Garmin avionics, one big pitfall is failing to check the status bar at the top of the primary flight display. Are you in Approach or Nav mode? Is altitude or pitch hold engaged? Tracking toward the correct fix? No matter what you thought you entered, the truth is on the status bar.

Discipline during engine starts is another issue. Botch a start by failing to notice a low battery charge, or introducing fuel too soon as the engine spools up, and you could easily end up with a very expensive hot start.

But as bad as all this can be, mentors and instructors agree on the single biggest problem that vexes those of us flying single-pilot. Surprise! It’s a neglect of basic instrument flying skills—especially when hand-flying. Whether it’s smoothness on the controls; holding heading, altitude, or course; setting up approaches and departures; or properly flying holding patterns, the fundamentals of instrument flying seem to suffer the most.

Maybe your 61.58 ride is coming up soon. Or you’re about to take the pilot initial course for your first jet. Either way, the best preparation sounds like scheduling some good old-fashioned dual instruction, emphasizing the instrument procedures you struggled so hard to master back when you earned the instrument rating.