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Quick Reference Guide

Airmanship Principles

Preflight & Planning


Taxi & Takeoff
Cruise & Descent
Landing & Debrief

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Airmanship Principles: Preflight and Preparation

• Preflight the Pilot – run the I.M.S.A.F.E. checklist. Be prepared to cancel the flight if
you are not ‘airworthy’ due to medication, sickness, stress, fatigue or other factors.
Remember, these issues can be cumulative and pilot impairment causes many more
accidents than failure of aircraft systems.

• Obtain a ‘big picture’ of the weather using The Weather Channel or any of the
available online sources before you call FSS for a briefing. Use the briefing as a
chance to ask questions and request detailed information that will affect your route of
flight. If your first thought about the weather is during the briefing, you can miss
important items.

• Use multiple sources to get a comprehensive weather briefing. Compare the


information from these sources to ensure accuracy. Make sure you have the latest
update just prior to departing.

• Spend some time thinking about the flight before arriving at the airport. While driving
to the airport, turn off the radio and cell phone and think about the flight ahead…get
your brain working for the flight ahead of time.

• Remember – you can’t make up time on a preflight. Take the time you need to do it
right every time. If you’re rushing due to darkness, weather or some other time
pressure, maybe you shouldn’t fly today.

• Do not allow distractions (yours and others) to affect your preflight. If you become
distracted during the preflight, you might overlook something and start that famous
accident chain.

• Always use your preflight checklist, but don’t rely on the checklist as a “to do” list.
Develop flow patterns for the preflight and use the checklist to double check that you
did not miss any items.

• Dress appropriately! Doing a thorough preflight is not easy if you are dressed for
business and are concerned about “getting dirty”. In cold weather, you may hurry
your preflight if not dressed appropriately.

• After you complete your preflight inspection, step back and look over the airplane.
Ensure that the airplane is clear of tie downs, chalks, fuel caps are on, oil doors
closed, and do a final review of your preflight checklist to ensure you didn’t miss
anything.

• If you are approaching the gross weight or balance limitations of your aircraft, be sure
to conduct a weight and balance. You don’t want to be a test pilot!

• Conduct a thorough passenger briefing to include the required items (seatbelts and
shoulder harnesses) as well as comfort items (air vents, airsickness bags), doors and
sterile cockpit procedures. Refer to the Passenger Briefing Checklist workshop for
more information on this subject.

• CRM - brief your passengers on how they can help you during the flight. They can be
a great resource if properly briefed.

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Airmanship Principles: Taxi and Takeoff

Engine Start:

• Start the engine with the lowest RPM possible. It’s better for your engine
(reduces wear and possible damage) and avoids blowing debris around the
ramp that may hit other planes or people.

• If your engine doesn’t start after a few revolutions, don’t keep cranking. You
can damage the starter and wear down your battery. In most cases, your
engine either has too much fuel or not enough. Take the necessary step (add
prime or wait for excess fuel to clear) before attempting a restart.

• Make sure the area is properly cleared before starting the engine. Don’t just
yell “clear” and crank the engine. Take a moment to look around and ensure
that nobody is in the area of your airplane before you start.

Taxi:

• Always have a taxi diagram available, study it and anticipate your taxi
instructions prior to calling ground.

• Apply minimum power when moving the airplane away from the blocks to
reduce prop blast and noise on the ramp.

• Just a smooth touch on the brakes confirms they are working properly.

• Try to move the airplane as smoothly as possible. Work on your breaking


technique…if you slowly release brake pressure as the airplane comes to a
stop, you will avoid a fore and aft jerk when stopping.

• Taxi with minimum power and avoid riding the brakes. Heating the brakes can
reduce their effectiveness when you may need them.

• Always taxi on the centerline to ensure maximum wingtip clearance.

• Always use proper crosswind controls. If we do this on every flight it will


become a habit and will help us perform better on windy days.

Takeoff:

• Before calling tower, take a moment to check your frequency, decide how you
want to leave the pattern and think about what you’re going to say. Try to
avoid multiple calls to tower – you don’t want to add to frequency congestion.

• Always check for traffic on final before entering the runway. Remember,
controllers can make mistakes.

• Make sure you are ready to go and avoid spending extra time on the runway.

• Align yourself directly on the runway centerline.

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• Look at the wind sock before starting your takeoff roll for a final check of the
wind.

• As you begin your takeoff roll, make sure your heels are on the floor – not up
on the brakes. Riding the brakes can negatively affect acceleration and
takeoff performance.

• Don’t hold forward pressure on the yoke – let it ride ‘neutral’ to keep the
weight off the nosewheel. This will smooth out the bumps on the takeoff roll.

Climb:

• As you smoothly raise the nose for takeoff, be prepared to add right rudder to
compensate for the left turning tendency caused by P-factor.

• Plan an appropriate climb speed for the conditions and monitor it closely.
Climb at Vx for obstacle clearance and Vy if you don’t have obstacles.

• Follow any noise abatement procedures that apply to your departure.

• Continue to hold right rudder as needed to avoid climbing in a slip.

• Gently lower the nose from time-to-time, looking for traffic in front of you.

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Airmanship Principles: Cruise and Descent

Cruise:

• Utilize the resources that are available to you:


o File a flight plan for VFR trips
o Get flight following any time it is available

• Altitude is a resource – when choosing cruise altitude…the higher the better.

• Higher altitudes are generally cooler, smoother and provide more options in
an emergency situation. Communication and navigation is more effective at
higher altitudes.

• You can build additional safety into your flight by choosing a route that takes
you over airports or along shorelines rather than over water.

• There’s only one way to lean an engine properly in cruise flight…follow the
recommendation in your POH. Improper leaning can damage your engine.

• Scan your engine instruments regularly to detect any changes from normal
operating values (oil pressure, oil temperature, ammeter, etc.) and be
prepared to make a precautionary landing if values move outside the normal
range.

• As you are flying over airports along your route, tune up the ATIS or AWOS to
monitor the conditions below. This will allow you to validate actual weather
versus the forecast and keep you mentally prepared should you need to make
a precautionary landing.

• Use Flight Watch on 122.0 to receive real-time weather advisories specific to


your route of flight.

• When time allows, give a PIREP to help your fellow pilots. They are an
invaluable tool for planning and getting real time conditions.

• Spend some time thinking about “what if”. What would you do if you lost an
alternator or had engine problems? Its good practice to review these
situations in your mind and think them through...you’ll be better prepared to
handle them if they really occur.

• Don’t rely blindly on your GPS for navigation. Keep the sectional chart out and
practice your map reading. Challenge yourself – find small private strips along
your route.

• Play “get ahead” prior to starting your descent:


o Organize your cockpit
o Check ATIS
o Anticipate landing and taxi instructions
o Load com frequencies (tower, ground)
o Use all available nav sources to verify you have the right airport

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Descent:

• If there is turbulent air below, you may want to delay your descent to remain
in smooth air as long as possible.

• Avoid descending rapidly if you have small children or other passengers with
sensitive ears.

• Plan early so you can fly a smooth, constant-rate descent. During the
descent, you can pick up additional speed and save time and fuel if conditions
allow.

• Pause prior to contacting the tower to reconfirm your position. Anticipate the
landing instructions you will receive.

• If the tower gives you landing instructions that are not the most efficient
based on your position, don’t hesitate to request something that may work
better for both of you.

• Complete all checklists prior to entering the traffic pattern. This will help
eliminate distractions and allow you to focus on flying the airplane and
watching for other traffic in the pattern.

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Airmanship Principles: Landing and Debrief

Landing:

• Pick a spot on the runway where you want to land. Your goal should not be to
simply put the airplane down on the runway. If you pick a spot, this will
improve your focus and allow you to evaluate each landing.

• Aim 100-200 feet in front of your intended landing spot to compensate for
floating. Adjust as required for wake turbulence, obstacles and wind.

• Maintain focus on your aiming spot throughout the approach. Try to maintain
a stabilized approach by making smooth pitch and power adjustments.

• Always try to land directly on the runway centerline.

• Dissipate as much energy as possible and keep the nosewheel light during
touchdown. This will save wear and tear on your airplane and provide
aerodynamic breaking.

• Your goal should be to land “on speed, on spot” with every landing.

• Always be prepared to go around if you aren’t set up properly. A go around is


a positive tool at a pilot’s disposal and should not be looked at negatively.
Practice go arounds so that you are prepared on the day you will need it.

• After landing, don’t pick a taxiway that requires hard breaking. Let the
airplane roll out smoothly and slowly on it’s own, then make a controlled
turnoff onto the taxiway.

• After parking the airplane, make sure it is properly secured and document
any squawks or malfunctions.

Debrief:

• Analyze each flight and be self critical.

• If you were surprised by something during the flight, go back and analyze
why you were surprised. Did you miss an item on your checklist or miss
something in the weather briefing?

• A good idea is to keep a diary of each flight to track what you did well and
what areas need improvement. This will help you identify areas for further
training and study.

• Get recurrent training to constantly improve your skills and proficiency.

• A few hours of training in a different type aircraft (tailwheel, glider, aerobatic)


can be extremely valuable. Each have their own characteristics and will add to
your overall experience and airmanship.

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