A Safe Pilot Is Always Learning

A Safe Pilot Is Always Learning Training tips for students and pilots

Real world transition…

While the goal of instructors is to train safe, real-world-ready pilots, we simply cannot teach everything about every scenario you may encounter. We teach students to think and to correlate and we teach them to learn. From day one, we work to create a culture of continuing education for pilots.

It’s refreshing seeing pilots out there flying, simming and doing ground sessions with instructors to increase both their experience level and their personal minimums. This shouldn’t be solely the realm of student pilots. Newly certificated and experienced pilots should obtain as many new experiences as they can, under the safe guidance of a qualified flight instructor. They should also stay as involved as possible in aviation, by taking online courses and keeping up-to-date by reading books, magazines, blogs, accident reports (in every industry, there is a lot to learn from the mistakes of others!) and newsletters, participating in forums and listening to podcasts.

Attending local events and fly-ins can be one of the most important and fun things a pilot can do. Becoming an involved member of the aviation community is a great way to learn and grow as a pilot while meeting some of the most interesting, most passionate folks out there!

See our list of items students and certificated pilots should cover to prepare for real- world flying, as well as a list of recommended new ratings, endorsements and additional training. Some of these are requirements for the practical test, but additional exposure and training is always required to stay proficient after earning your certificate. Others are not requirements, but pilots should either gain experience with their instructor or, at the very least, gain knowledge and understanding of operating considerations and risks…

Expand your horizon!

Be safe, have fun & keep learning! Matt D’Angelo Operations:

– Crosswind takeoff and landings (NO pilot EVER has enough crosswind experience!) – Gusty winds – Short field takeoff & landings – Real soft field takeoff & landings – Long cross-country flights and weather planning (300nm + round trip) – Sun glare

– Low light – Night – Marginal weather conditions (with context – this is a warning / escape plan, not an invitation to fly in marginal weather!) – Instrument weather conditions (with context – this is as a warning / escape plan, not an invitation to fly in instrument conditions! Do this only with an instrument instructor on an instrument flight plan or in the sim!) – Seasonal changes – Winter operations – Survival – Deicing – Preheat – Self-fueling – High density altitude ops – Mountain – Over-water – Desert – Wooded areas – Flying with a passenger(s) in the back seat – Maximum gross weight operations – ATC higher volume airspace – ATC higher volume airports – Class bravo – Hudson River Special Flight Rules Area – Washington, DC Special Flight Rules Area – Basic IFR operations, such as tuning and navigating along an ILS or LOC visually

New ratings, endorsements and additional training:

– Tailwheel endorsement (with Damian DelGaizo at Andover Flight Academy!) – FAASTeam – Wings program – Instrument rating – Aerobatic training – Glider rating – Seaplane rating – High performance endorsement – Complex endorsement – Multi-engine rating