For example, the AOPA Air Safety Institute recommends adding a 50-percent margin to the takeoff and landing distances listed in the aircraft’s pilot’s operating handbook. The POH numbers used for planning purposes are based on the performance of new aircraft with new engines that are flown in ideal conditions by company test pilots. Airport ramps are not typically packed with factory fresh aircraft flown by highly experienced and proficient professionals, so adding that 50-percent margin ensures we have enough runway for our takeoffs and landings.

You will find many other safety margins built into the POH. The approach speed of an airplane is typically 30 percent faster than the stall speed in the landing configuration. Maneuvering speed is a limit below which full-deflection of control surfaces during maneuvers or turbulence are unlikely to overstress the airframe. The FAA requires us to carry more fuel than we need to reach our destination for the same basic reason: to create a safety margin.

Another way to add safety margins to your flying is to invite another pilot to join you on flights when you feel you could use an extra set of eyes. There could be many reasons for this. Maybe you haven’t flown in a while and feel rusty, or you have been experiencing an increased level of stress in your life, or you’ve recently transitioned to a new airplane, or you’re flying to an unfamiliar airport. Even if you’re within legal requirements for proficiency of flight, the best decision is always to add a safety margin.

Personal minimums are another tool we use to create safety margins, and those limits should be assessed for each flight based on various factors: how the pilot feels physically and mentally, the airplane’s capabilities and equipment, weather, operating environment, and so on. For more about personal minimums, check out this resource from the Air Safety Institute.

Personal minimums and risk management go hand in hand. The FAA’s Risk Management Handbook is a useful reference. The handbook includes practical tools to develop a competent evaluation of your surroundings that allows for assessing risk and managing it. Risk management is applied by identifying, monitoring, and managing potential risk factors, and prepares pilots to avoid danger or manage situations as they arise.

What safety margins do you routinely incorporate into your flying?