How To Be A Better Pilot

[Colonel Sanders]

Plenty of bitching here about the skill level of newbie pilots.

Here are some concrete suggestions on how you can improve them

1) fly more. . Yeager said that in his autobiography that the
pilot that flies the most is the best. While it's a little bit more complicated
than that, I do tell any pilot with less than 1000TT to fly twice today,
wx permitting.

2) fly in a more concentrated manner. Let's say you can afford to fly
once a week. Don't do that. Instead, one week a month, fly 4 days
in a row. The concentration of flying will bring your skills up to a higher
level.

3) fly something different. If you're a Cessna pilot, get checked out
on a Cherokee. Or a Katuna. And vice versa. Fly the weirdest stuff
you can find. Add more types to your logbook. If there's any tailwheel
or float flying around, be on it like a fat kid on a smartie. It will improve
your systems knowledge and importantly, your stick and rudder skills.
If you travel for work, make an effort to seek out training while you're
on the road. I know a guy who bought a Pitts and did that, and must
have flown with every Pitts instructor in North America.

4) become a master of crosswinds. Don't shy away from them - seek
them out. Slowly increase your personal crosswind limit until you can
handle 15 knots in a 172, which is what the POH says an average pilot
can do.

5) pull the power on downwind abeam the numbers over and over
again until you can do a descending power-off 180, and you can
consistently land on the numbers without touching the throttle

6) start flying the circuit at 500 feet. Good practice, and less
time wasted climbing and descending

7) get an instructor to give you dual on the following:
- falling leaf: sustained full stall, using rudders to pick up wings
- roll on a point, at the bottom of the power curve, ball in the center
- land on one tire, aileron all the way over, roll down the runway
If your instructor doesn't know how to do the above, fly with the CFI.
If the CFI doesn't know how to do the above, have him email me.

8) Precision. Taxi, takeoff and land with the nosewheel (sigh) in
the exact center of the runway. Airspeed control on final is
paramount. Work on your altitude control, and other stuff BPF
recommends

There are an awful lot of things that you can do, to become an
above-average pilot.

[YYZSaabGuy]

Plenty of bitching here about the skill level of newbie pilots.

Here are some concrete suggestions on how you can improve them

1) fly more. . Yeager said that in his autobiography that the
pilot that flies the most is the best. While it's a little bit more complicated
than that, I do tell any pilot with less than 1000TT to fly twice today,
wx permitting.

2) fly in a more concentrated manner. Let's say you can afford to fly
once a week. Don't do that. Instead, one week a month, fly 4 days
in a row. The concentration of flying will bring your skills up to a higher
level.

3) fly something different. If you're a Cessna pilot, get checked out
on a Cherokee. Or a Katuna. And vice versa. Fly the weirdest stuff
you can find. Add more types to your logbook. If there's any tailwheel
or float flying around, be on it like a fat kid on a smartie. It will improve
your systems knowledge and importantly, your stick and rudder skills.
If you travel for work, make an effort to seek out training while you're
on the road. I know a guy who bought a Pitts and did that, and must
have flown with every Pitts instructor in North America.

4) become a master of crosswinds. Don't shy away from them - seek
them out. Slowly increase your personal crosswind limit until you can
handle 15 knots in a 172, which is what the POH says an average pilot
can do.

5) pull the power on downwind abeam the numbers over and over
again until you can do a descending power-off 180, and you can
consistently land on the numbers without touching the throttle

6) start flying the circuit at 500 feet. Good practice, and less
time wasted climbing and descending

7) get an instructor to give you dual on the following:
- falling leaf: sustained full stall, using rudders to pick up wings
- roll on a point, at the bottom of the power curve, ball in the center
- land on one tire, aileron all the way over, roll down the runway
If your instructor doesn't know how to do the above, fly with the CFI.
If the CFI doesn't know how to do the above, have him email me.

Precision. Taxi, takeoff and land with the nosewheel (sigh) in
the exact center of the runway. Airspeed control on final is
paramount. Work on your altitude control, and other stuff BPF
recommends

There are an awful lot of things that you can do, to become an
above-average pilot.

Good advice and mostly do-able. Possible exception would be #6 at busier airports, where I think flying the circuit at altitude so that you're where you're expected to be is probably pretty much mandatory, not to mention a good idea. I do like the rest of the suggestions, though, and will try out the ones I'm not already doing. Thanks for posting.

[FenderManDan]

Hi CS. I got these same ideas from you and other fellas that I am pushing into my training. My instructor is surprised with the requests and says that he never had a student ask him this in the past. Mind you he is 800-900 TT guy. He knows how to execute these manoeuvres, however is having trouble explaining to me.

There is problem with the #6 at the YKZ. We are mandated to do 1000ft AGL circuit. Noise and populated areas etc. Once i got a nasty one from the tower when I was at 900ft AGL in the circuit. Next thing after the tower call I started searching for the SAM site aiming at me

Thanks again for the info

Dan

[WileyCoyote]

Fly to some tiny, uncontrolled strips to practice without the constraints of traffic.

[Colonel Sanders]

Fly to some tiny, uncontrolled strips to practice without the constraints of traffic

Excellent advice! Not only will the lack of other traffic allow
you to get creative in the circuit, the different visuals are
also really good for you.

Use runways that are wider/narrower/shorter/longer/upslope/downslope
or that have obstacles or a hill in the middle or rough surface that make it
interesting.

Also, you don't even know it, but you're using the landmarks
around your home airport to fly the circuit, esp in a high wing
which blocks the view inward, during the turns.

[rapid602]

I can't afford to fly everyday however I did drop about $8,000 getting my Multi IFR renewed, and my ATPL back.

Microsoft Flight Simulator X $50
Saiteck Flight Yoke with extra throttle and rudder pedal $400

Flying in any aircraft Pipers, to Cessna's, Barons', King Air 350 I bought a Seminol, and a Citation II, which I used to fly. FREE, FREE, FREE, Cross country, anywhere you want. Your real world pilot maps and approach plates work, Day/ Night/ Winter/ Summer/ Cloud / its all there and cross winds all day long.

The best adult video game ever.... I love this thing. You can fly a Baron all day, $350 an hour or more. 1 hour in a real plane buy's the controllers. DEAL. Best money I ever spent.

And you can do all of the things the Colonel said. and if you miss the numbers you start over. or try different speeds. Its endless. Think about it .... You can keep you brain working and your skills up. I have an ATPL and fly the King Air and the Lear 45 and the Citation II in this thing. It Rocks.

[gustind]

There is problem with the #6 at the YKZ. We are mandated to do 1000ft AGL circuit. Noise and populated areas etc.
Dan

Go to Downsview airport. Call up and get prior permission (I have never been denied so far departing YKZ). The circuit altitude is at 1500ft and is a bit of a different environment. If not there then maybe go to Holland landing.

Best of luck and most of all have fun!

[FenderManDan]

There is problem with the #6 at the YKZ. We are mandated to do 1000ft AGL circuit. Noise and populated areas etc.
Dan

Go to Downsview airport. Call up and get prior permission (I have never been denied so far departing YKZ). The circuit altitude is at 1500ft and is a bit of a different environment. If not there then maybe go to Holland landing.

Best of luck and most of all have fun!

Hmmm, are the one that is buzzing my house on the downwind in the C-150 or 172? Just kidding .
I asked the dudes at the YKZ about the downsview and none have tried. I though it might be allowed only if you are a Bombardier employee. Would you mind pm-ing me with the detail how did you get the permission and which route/alt do yo fly from YKZ?

[T-roper]

+ 1 to the thread. I enjoy reading and then trying exercises other people do. I will add a few.

1) Never land with out an intended touchdown point. numbers etc.

2) Find a geographical straight line (road, treeline, runway) Start a glide and preform a forward slip and maintain track along the road. Recover and try to maintain airspeed. repeat the slip in the other direction etc.

3) With the same geographical straight line do a side slip laterally to one side of the line and back to the other. Keep your longitudinal axis parallel to the line.

4) Preform touch and go's while not letting the nose wheel touch the ground.

5) Practicing stall and slow flight recoveries, pretend the runway/ground is 200' below you. (Rarely do people stall at 3000' in cruise!)

[AcelinePanetier]

I think that the good pilot has to decide to become better. Then he/she has to do great deal of work to become one. Reading a lot of material to help learn from the mistakes and errors of others, to read investigation reports of accidents and incidents , to undergo training to horne the skills, and to be in the right environment..