10 Important Tips for Beginners, Student Pilots & Private Pilots
By Brendan Quinn-Narkin - Certified Flight Instructor, Commercial Pilot
Hi I'm Brendan. I have been a commercial pilot and certified flight instructor since 2002. If you are someone who is interested in learning to fly, a student pilot, or a private pilot, I have some tips to share with you. Following these tips can help you to do well on during flight lessons, your checkride or your next flight review, save you time and money, and improve your safety.
Tip 1: Learn as much as you can on the ground before you fly.
Here's the best tip for saving money: Learn as much as you possibly can on the ground. A lot of student pilots are focused on the fun of flying and don't take the time to do their homework. With all of the noise and a bunch of different things happening at the same time, the cockpit makes for a bad (and expensive) classroom.
Read flight training books and articles, watch flight training videos and try to learn as much as you possibly can on the ground. Then apply what you learned in the air. You will perform better during flight lessons, have greater confidence and impress your flight instructor. Because you will be better prepared, you will be able to complete your flight training in less time which can save you a lot of money.
This applies to private pilots as well. In fact the private pilot certificate is often referred to as a "license to learn." A good pilot is always trying to learn more.
Often times private pilots show up for their flight reviews unprepared. A minimum of one hour of ground instruction and one hour of flight time is required to complete a flight review. However, in many cases they take longer and require several ground sessions and flight lessons, before the instructor feels confident enough to provide the endorsement. The smart pilots who take the time to prepare and study ahead of time complete their flight reviews in less time and save money.
Not sure what to study? Send me an email at [email protected] and I will send you a list of recommended study materials.
Tip 2: Get a weather briefing before each flight.
Weather plays a role in a large percentage of fatal general aviation accidents. Did you know that in most of these cases the pilot either failed to obtain a weather briefing before the flight or obtained a briefing, was warned about the conditions and decided to attempt the flight anyway?
You need to obtain a weather briefing before each flight and if the conditions are questionable, stay on the ground.
OK, but what if it's a local flight and you know that the weather is great? You still need to get a briefing. Here's why: The briefer will also let you know about any NOTAMs (notices to airmen) which might affect your flight. This includes such things as runway closures and temporary flight restrictions due to firefighting or a presidential visit. You don't want to find a fighter jet off your wing because you accidentally violated a temporary flight restriction.
In DVD 1 of my video course (which you can learn more about on the next page) I put my phone on speakerphone as I call a flight service station and obtain a standard briefing. This allows you to hear every detail, including exactly what to say when requesting a briefing.
Tip 3: Calculate Your Weight & Balance.
A lot of accidents are caused by pilots flying outside of the weight & balance limits for their airplane. You need to know how to do a weight & balance calculation . You can expect to be tested on it during the private pilot checkride or on your next flight review.
In DVD 1 of my video course (on the next page) I show you how to do a weight & balance using a simple fill-in-the-blank form.
Tip 4: Calculate Your Takeoff & Landing Distance
Weight, temperature and field elevation all play a huge role in the amount of runway required for a takeoff or landing. A plane might takeoff and climb great on a cool morning, halfway loaded, at an airport near sea level. But put that same airplane at a mountain airport on a warm afternoon, fully loaded and it might not be able to clear the trees at the end of the runway. You need to be able to calculate your takeoff and landing distance and I show you how in DVD 1 of my video course.
Tip 5: Know Your Charts Inside & Out
When a pilot comes to me for their flight review, one of the first things I will do is open up a sectional chart and quiz them regarding different features of the chart. If you are a student pilot you can except the examiner to ask you many chart related questions during the oral portion of the checkride. I you are a private pilot, you can expect the same on your next flight review.
Can you identify the different types of airspace on a chart? Do you know what RP means in the airport data? Do you know where to find the ground control frequency on a chart? I go over all of this and much more on DVD 1 of the video course.
Tip 6: Use the DUATS Flight Planning Tool
During flight training you learn how to use a plotter and E6B flight computer for your flight planning. It's important that you know how to use this method. However, there is an easier and more accurate method and that is the DUATS flight planning tool. It's free to anyone with a student pilot certificate or higher and fully endorsed by the FAA. You can use it to quickly and easily determine the winds aloft, distance, magnetic course, required heading, flight time and fuel burn. Or you can use it to check your work after using the old school method.
In DVD 1 of my video course I show how it's done and we use it to plan a flight.
Tip 7: Avoid the temptation to fly low.
There are numerous accidents which could have been avoided if only the pilot had chosen to fly at a higher altitude. Why would a pilot fly low? Because it can be fun, to "buzz" people on the ground, to show off, or because they did not take the time to study their chart and understand the height of obstructions and terrain along their route. Flying low is not worth the risk. Before each flight, take the time to study the chart and pick and altitude which will allow you to remain well clear of all terrain and obstructions.
Tip 8: Make sure that your radio communication skills are up to snuff
Radio communication is one of the most challenging parts of flying for a lot of student pilots and some private pilots. Often times private pilot who learn to fly at non-towered airports are intimidated by the prospect of radio commutation with ATC and avoid towered airports, as well as class C and B airspace.
You don't want to limit the airports you can operate out of or the airspace you can fly through. That's why it's important to master radio communication techniques.
Tip 9: Always get flight following
Tip 10: Improve your landings
Click here to proceed to the next page and watch a sample of the flight training video course.
Tip 1: Learn as much as you can on the ground before you fly.
Here's the best tip for saving money: Learn as much as you possibly can on the ground. A lot of student pilots are focused on the fun of flying and don't take the time to do their homework. With all of the noise and a bunch of different things happening at the same time, the cockpit makes for a bad (and expensive) classroom.
Read flight training books and articles, watch flight training videos and try to learn as much as you possibly can on the ground. Then apply what you learned in the air. You will perform better during flight lessons, have greater confidence and impress your flight instructor. Because you will be better prepared, you will be able to complete your flight training in less time which can save you a lot of money.
This applies to private pilots as well. In fact the private pilot certificate is often referred to as a "license to learn." A good pilot is always trying to learn more.
Often times private pilots show up for their flight reviews unprepared. A minimum of one hour of ground instruction and one hour of flight time is required to complete a flight review. However, in many cases they take longer and require several ground sessions and flight lessons, before the instructor feels confident enough to provide the endorsement. The smart pilots who take the time to prepare and study ahead of time complete their flight reviews in less time and save money.
Not sure what to study? Send me an email at [email protected] and I will send you a list of recommended study materials.
Tip 2: Get a weather briefing before each flight.
Weather plays a role in a large percentage of fatal general aviation accidents. Did you know that in most of these cases the pilot either failed to obtain a weather briefing before the flight or obtained a briefing, was warned about the conditions and decided to attempt the flight anyway?
You need to obtain a weather briefing before each flight and if the conditions are questionable, stay on the ground.
OK, but what if it's a local flight and you know that the weather is great? You still need to get a briefing. Here's why: The briefer will also let you know about any NOTAMs (notices to airmen) which might affect your flight. This includes such things as runway closures and temporary flight restrictions due to firefighting or a presidential visit. You don't want to find a fighter jet off your wing because you accidentally violated a temporary flight restriction.
In DVD 1 of my video course (which you can learn more about on the next page) I put my phone on speakerphone as I call a flight service station and obtain a standard briefing. This allows you to hear every detail, including exactly what to say when requesting a briefing.
Tip 3: Calculate Your Weight & Balance.
A lot of accidents are caused by pilots flying outside of the weight & balance limits for their airplane. You need to know how to do a weight & balance calculation . You can expect to be tested on it during the private pilot checkride or on your next flight review.
In DVD 1 of my video course (on the next page) I show you how to do a weight & balance using a simple fill-in-the-blank form.
Tip 4: Calculate Your Takeoff & Landing Distance
Weight, temperature and field elevation all play a huge role in the amount of runway required for a takeoff or landing. A plane might takeoff and climb great on a cool morning, halfway loaded, at an airport near sea level. But put that same airplane at a mountain airport on a warm afternoon, fully loaded and it might not be able to clear the trees at the end of the runway. You need to be able to calculate your takeoff and landing distance and I show you how in DVD 1 of my video course.
Tip 5: Know Your Charts Inside & Out
When a pilot comes to me for their flight review, one of the first things I will do is open up a sectional chart and quiz them regarding different features of the chart. If you are a student pilot you can except the examiner to ask you many chart related questions during the oral portion of the checkride. I you are a private pilot, you can expect the same on your next flight review.
Can you identify the different types of airspace on a chart? Do you know what RP means in the airport data? Do you know where to find the ground control frequency on a chart? I go over all of this and much more on DVD 1 of the video course.
Tip 6: Use the DUATS Flight Planning Tool
During flight training you learn how to use a plotter and E6B flight computer for your flight planning. It's important that you know how to use this method. However, there is an easier and more accurate method and that is the DUATS flight planning tool. It's free to anyone with a student pilot certificate or higher and fully endorsed by the FAA. You can use it to quickly and easily determine the winds aloft, distance, magnetic course, required heading, flight time and fuel burn. Or you can use it to check your work after using the old school method.
In DVD 1 of my video course I show how it's done and we use it to plan a flight.
Tip 7: Avoid the temptation to fly low.
There are numerous accidents which could have been avoided if only the pilot had chosen to fly at a higher altitude. Why would a pilot fly low? Because it can be fun, to "buzz" people on the ground, to show off, or because they did not take the time to study their chart and understand the height of obstructions and terrain along their route. Flying low is not worth the risk. Before each flight, take the time to study the chart and pick and altitude which will allow you to remain well clear of all terrain and obstructions.
Tip 8: Make sure that your radio communication skills are up to snuff
Radio communication is one of the most challenging parts of flying for a lot of student pilots and some private pilots. Often times private pilot who learn to fly at non-towered airports are intimidated by the prospect of radio commutation with ATC and avoid towered airports, as well as class C and B airspace.
You don't want to limit the airports you can operate out of or the airspace you can fly through. That's why it's important to master radio communication techniques.
Tip 9: Always get flight following
Tip 10: Improve your landings
Click here to proceed to the next page and watch a sample of the flight training video course.