Safety

Howard Wolvington – 2014
• Students need to understand airworthiness requirements. Spend some quality time with a CFI to
understand the regulations at an application or correlation level of learning.
• If you are a CFI, don’t dispatch an airplane for a training flight without full compliance with the
requirements as stated in 14 CFR section 91.213(d) — and make sure your students understand
them.
• To support training on this subject, I have created a presentation available to any CFI or student:
http://flywithhoward.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/Understanding-Airworthiness.ppsx
Dean Eichholz – 2013
• I often see weakness in takeoffs and landings at both the private and commercial levels. Learn to
fly a stabilized approach on final until touchdown by practicing key skills in the practice area.
• Spend time in the practice area perfecting the skills for stabilized glide path, angle of attack
control (including stalls and recoveries), and ground reference maneuvers to eliminate the
“common errors” and make your landings consistent and professional from the beginning.
• Acquire and use the references listed in the PTS or ACS. For takeoffs, landings and go-arounds,
these include the Pilot’s Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge, the Airplane Flying Handbook,
and the Pilot’s Operating Handbook.
Judy Phelps – 2011
• Choosing the right instructor is key to the flight training experience. It’s okay to change
instructors if you’re not compatible with your CFI. Remember, you’re the customer!
• Your flight training should have structure. Your instructor should use a syllabus, and when you
walk out the door you should know what you’re going to be doing on your next lesson.
• Everyone learns at a different pace. Don’t compare yourself to others in terms of progress.
• When preparing for the practical test, remember that you are doing more than just passing a
test. You are building skills you will use well after your checkride.
• Once you get your certificate, keep practicing! Flying skills deteriorate if we don’t use them. A
good pilot is always practicing and learning.
Jeffrey Robert Moss – 2010
• Take the time to learn a memorized flow. Airline pilots spend up to three days in front of a cockpit
poster getting the flows right because they expedite SOPs, increase safety, and help pilots to learn the
“switchology.”
• Be sure to always back up each flow with a checklist that now will serve to function as a CHECK list.
Arlynn McMahon – 2009
• Make flight lessons a “standing appointment.” Get into a same day and time routine, like a college class.
• Morning lessons are more productive — cooler with fewer thunderstorms and less turbulence.
• Don’t cancel lessons unless it’s absolutely necessary, and don’t let your instructor cancel. You have
this time allocated, so be assertive in using it for something productive. Start a list of things you could
accomplish when weather or aircraft maintenance get in the way.
July/August 2016 FAA Safety Briefing 15