5 Steps to Performing Great on Your Next Flight Lesson, Checkride, or Flight Review & Improving Your Safety
by Brendan Quinn-Narkin - Commercial Pilot, Certified Flight Instructor
Every year a certain number of student pilots spend thousands more than is necessary on flight training, taking flight lessons, but not really learning some of the most important things they need to know.
Every year a certain number of student pilots fail their checkride on the first attempt, because they are unprepared. This costs them at the minimum, several hundred dollars.
Tragically, every year a certain number of private pilots lose their lives in airplane accidents. Accidents which are almost always, completely preventable.
You don't need to make the same mistakes others have made.
The following 5 steps will help you to do well on your checkride, if you are a student pilot or do well on your flight review, if you are a private pilot. Most importantly, they will improve your safety.
Step 1: Make sure that you know how to calculate weight & balance + takeoff & landing distance.
On the private pilot checkride the examiner will test your ability to calculate weight & balance and most instructors will do the same on a flight review. Here's a tip for making it fast and easy: Have pre-printed weight & balance forms so that all you have to do is fill in the blanks. I will show you how to calculate weight & balance using these forms in my video course which follows. A lot of accidents are caused by pilots attempting to fly outside of the weight and balance limits. It is critical to ensure that you are within the limits before each flight.
A lot of accidents are also caused by pilots failing to take density altitude into account and attempting a takeoff and climb that exceeds the performance capability of the airplane. Take a plane such as the Cessna 172. At sea level, halfway loaded on a cool day it seems to leap off the runway. On the other hand, fully loaded, on a hot day, at a high elevation mountain airport and it might not be able to clear the trees at the end of the runway. You need to be able to calculate takeoff and landing distance based on weight, temperature, and field elevation and you can expect your instructor or examiner to test you on this. In the video course which follows I will show you how.
Every year a certain number of student pilots fail their checkride on the first attempt, because they are unprepared. This costs them at the minimum, several hundred dollars.
Tragically, every year a certain number of private pilots lose their lives in airplane accidents. Accidents which are almost always, completely preventable.
You don't need to make the same mistakes others have made.
The following 5 steps will help you to do well on your checkride, if you are a student pilot or do well on your flight review, if you are a private pilot. Most importantly, they will improve your safety.
Step 1: Make sure that you know how to calculate weight & balance + takeoff & landing distance.
On the private pilot checkride the examiner will test your ability to calculate weight & balance and most instructors will do the same on a flight review. Here's a tip for making it fast and easy: Have pre-printed weight & balance forms so that all you have to do is fill in the blanks. I will show you how to calculate weight & balance using these forms in my video course which follows. A lot of accidents are caused by pilots attempting to fly outside of the weight and balance limits. It is critical to ensure that you are within the limits before each flight.
A lot of accidents are also caused by pilots failing to take density altitude into account and attempting a takeoff and climb that exceeds the performance capability of the airplane. Take a plane such as the Cessna 172. At sea level, halfway loaded on a cool day it seems to leap off the runway. On the other hand, fully loaded, on a hot day, at a high elevation mountain airport and it might not be able to clear the trees at the end of the runway. You need to be able to calculate takeoff and landing distance based on weight, temperature, and field elevation and you can expect your instructor or examiner to test you on this. In the video course which follows I will show you how.
