Long time GA pilots - what has kept you safe?

[Nikhiln25]

For those that have been doing this for years and decades and have been at it for enough time to experience it all, what has kept you safe all these years to stay incident free? Knowing everything you know today, what would you wish a 200 hour version of you knew?

 

[Brad Z]

For those that have been doing this for years and decades and have been at it for enough time to experience it all, what has kept you safe all these years to stay incident free? Knowing everything you know today, what would you wish a 200 hour version of you knew?

To quote Dan Milican, superior judgement trumps superior skill.
Learn the difference between expanding your comfort zone and taking on unnecessary risk to fulfill a mission or please your passengers.
Plan your flights like a dispatcher…Would you sign the release for another pilot to take this trip?
Set personal minimums and stick to them.

 

[Tools]

Define incident free. Well, in case I’m eligible:

Operational risk management…. What are the odds vs what is the severity.

Both low, go.
Both hi, don’t go.

One high one low… is there something I can do to substantially mitigate?

If yes, maybe.
If no, don’t go.

Pro tip, the further from that diagonal line you stay, the less gray hair you’ll have (don’t be gray like me…).

You’ll get the cool stories anyway, you just won’t have to say “don’t be gray like me”.

Chicks do dig gray hair. But I digress…

Another pro tip, if someone claims to have done or seen it all, uh, don’t take their advice!

 

[ateamer]

I fly just for fun, so I’m very willing to say no.

I plan and brief every flight - METAR, TAF, MOS, NOTAMs, hazards, TFRs, fuel requirements, and plan an alternate - even if I’m just planning to stay within a couple miles. You never know when the runway might become unavailable and a divert could be required. With Foreflight, planning takes maybe two minutes, more like 90 seconds.

I self-brief the plan, departure, route, and as the destination comes in range, brief the arrival. That goes with not letting the plane go anywhere my mind didn’t arrive at five minutes before.

 

[Beachy]

Never, ever skimp on your pre-flight, making sure to sump the tanks EVERY time. In 59 years of flying I’ve only found water/gunk two times. The first was about 50 years ago - the second was three weeks ago.

 

[Initial Fix]

Know your comfort zone and don’t be afraid to fly with a CFI or other experienced pilot to gain experience.

Create your own weather op limits and stick to them. Adjust if you don’t fly enough

Fly as much as possible.

Never be afraid to cancel a flight.

 

[Roger Wilco]

I would like to claim superior skill and judgement, but in reality it has been cowardice and dumb luck.

200-hour-me would have benefitted from a deep dive into the study of cognitive biases, especially the Dunning-Kruger effect and illusory superiority.

Did I mention dumb luck?

 

[RyanShort1]

To quote Dan Milican, superior judgement trumps superior skill.

I like Dan, but I really dislike pitting the two against each other. You need both, because sometimes the best judgment in the world can't keep something from breaking that was made improperly 40 years ago or finally hit a fatigue limit and the only thing that will get you out of that jam is a little good judgment and a lot of skill.

Try to avoid complacency, and excessive familiarity with routine. Something as simple as a gust lock can kill the best of us.

 

[Ed Haywood]

Learn to fly the plane, not just drive it. Push the edges of the envelope in training, so you won't be overwhelmed if you encounter a situation that puts you there in the wild. Steep turns, slow flight, stalls, spins, maximum performance, unusual attitudes, upset recovery, short/soft fields, partial panel, etc ... practice it all on a regular basis.

Learn your mechanical systems. Work with your A&P every chance you get. Do as much owner maintenance as you can.

 

[dmspilot]

Treat every flight like it could kill you. Avoid complacency. Don't take shortcuts. Practice your skills so you don't lose them.

"I've never found water in the fuel before. It won't hurt to not check it this once." I had a CFI say a variation of that to me. Thankfully, I was already a PPL and knew better.

 

[AlphaPilotFlyer]

some advice from a B727 capt I got many years ago .... "work from the hearing backwards"....meaning, if you screwed up and on trial, know you did everything you would have in retrospect leading up to the event

 

[M20K]

In think I lucked out with the Primary CFI I had. Older guy (than me at 18 ) that was not looking to move on the airlines. Just liked teaching on the side.

He quietly and calmly kept drumming little tid-bits of knowledge into me. In the little Piper 140 I started in I was doing a Gear checks. It was always about staying ahead of the plane and considering the What Ifs. Occasionally it would be OH MY GOD WE JUST LOST AN ENGINE, YOU'RE GOING TO KILL ME!!!!!!! But usually it was "so what are you thinking about now?" as we were nearing some mountains, a lake or whatever. So I think the biggest thing for everyone that flies planes is to be in the moment and even on a great VFR flight for 10 minutes... YOU are flying that plane and you need to always be on your game! Even if it is in the background just thinking about all the What Ifs.

 

[dtuuri]

some advice from a B727 capt I got many years ago .... "work from the hearing backwards"....meaning, if you screwed up and on trial, know you did everything you would have in retrospect leading up to the event

I call it the "newspaper test", "How will I look in the newspaper if anything bad happens?"

 

[DaleB]

I call it the "newspaper test", "How will I look in the newspaper if anything bad happens?"

I just think, 'Will someone reading the NTSB report say, "Wow, what an idiot!"'

 

[Brad Z]

I like Dan, but I really dislike pitting the two against each other. You need both, because sometimes the best judgment in the world can't keep something from breaking that was made improperly 40 years ago or finally hit a fatigue limit and the only thing that will get you out of that jam is a little good judgment and a lot of skill.

Try to avoid complacency, and excessive familiarity with routine. Something as simple as a gust lock can kill the best of us.

The way I interpret that statement is that our ability Chuck Yeager our way back to the earth in a flaming hunk of metal is called upon far far less to avoid a fatal accident than our ability to make solid decisions in perfectly good airplanes that prevent an accident from happening in the first place.

 

[midlifeflyer]

A healthy dose of paranoia helps.

 

[midwestpa24]

Stay in the middle of the sky, avoid the edges.

Set responsible personal limits, stick to them. Update as necessary based on currency and proficiency.

 

[SixPapaCharlie]

When I was a new pilot I probably wouldn't have listened to whatever I would tell myself now.

There are times I have made really smart decisions in there are times I have made questionable decisions and gotten lucky.

I would say probably the biggest thing between then and now is I'm way more likely now to cancel a flight vs. when I was new. I was so excited about flying somewhere that I would push things further than I should have.

Second time I ever flew to Oshkosh I straight up lowered my minimum's mid-flight and started scud running at an altitude that is below my current minimums 12 years later.

Granted my minimums are way higher than they probably need to be for my current skill set and I didn't do anything illegal. But the fact that I was willing to completely change what they were mid flight because I was going to get there come hell or high water is really stupid.

Maintain your aircraft. Always listen to your gut. Don't fly an aircraft that you think aren't maintained well. Always listen to your gut. Err on the side of not flying. Always listen to your gut. Ask yourself would I want another pilot to do what I'm about to do if my children were in the back of their airplane? Always listen to your gut.

 

[bonefishpete]

Today’s age?
Don’t end up on Juan’s Channel.

 

[Dana]

Learn to fly the plane, not just drive it. Push the edges of the envelope in training, so you won't be overwhelmed if you encounter a situation that puts you there in the wild. Steep turns, slow flight, stalls, spins, maximum performance, unusual attitudes, upset recovery, short/soft fields, partial panel, etc ... practice it all on a regular basis.

Learn your mechanical systems. Work with your A&P every chance you get. Do as much owner maintenance as you can.

That too.

And when it does go bad, as Bob Hoover said, "fly it as far into the crash as you can."

 

[NorthEast Ohio]

Don’t push the envelope.


‘Think out of the box, while staying in the envelope.’
Nauga, probably

 

[bonefishpete]

That too.

And when it does go bad, as Bob Hoover said, "fly it as far into the crash as you can."

This never stop flying the aircraft.

 

[kayoh190]

Set responsible personal limits, stick to them. Update as necessary based on currency and proficiency.

This has been the big one for me. Resisting the temptation to exceed my set personal limits, regardless of how inconvenient that may be.

I also consider my GA proficiency to be an entirely different thing from work.

 

[Rcmutz]

This….. “Always listen to your gut. Err on the side of not flying. Always listen to your gut. Ask yourself would I want another pilot to do what I'm about to do if my children were in the back of their airplane? Always listen to your gut.”

 

[eman1200]

I find “don’t be a dumbass” a solid philosophy to cover a lot of things. Not all, but a lot.

 

[RyanShort1]

The way I interpret that statement is that our ability Chuck Yeager our way back to the earth in a flaming hunk of metal is called upon far far less to avoid a fatal accident than our ability to make solid decisions in perfectly good airplanes that prevent an accident from happening in the first place.

And I think that's flawed. You can improve your skills every flight by holding tight standards and practicing stuff you didn't "need" to. Pilots get comfortable, and then they get lazy, and next thing you know they've forgotten how to do stuff they learned in flight training.

 

[Lowflynjack]

There is no doubt that luck kept me alive when I was a young pilot. At 17, I had no experience and very little flying time, so my decisions were often based on just wanting to be in the air, needing to get home, impressing a friend, etc.

Now that I've accumulated a lot of hours (and years!), I have a lot more patience and time. I also have a job where I can work remotely if needed, so I have less pressure to get back home.

 

[Domenick]

I am VFR only.
Listen to your little, internal voice. It's smarter than you.
Never push the weather. If you get grounded, consider it an adventure.

 

[Lowflynjack]

And I think that's flawed. You can improve your skills every flight by holding tight standards and practicing stuff you didn't "need" to. Pilots get comfortable, and then they get lazy, and next thing you know they've forgotten how to do stuff they learned in flight training.

My aerobatic instructor was a great mentor to me. I flew his Decathlon. He told me if you ever have that perfect flight where you had nothing to improve on, nothing could have been even slightly better... give me back the keys to my hangar and don't fly my airplane anymore. There's always something you could have done better. Keep learning.

 

[iamtheari]

I would say probably the biggest thing between then and now is I'm way more likely now to cancel a flight vs. when I was new.

Based on my experience with the airlines, I find this extremely credible.

As far as staying alive, I think my personal plan is to never think I actually am a long-time pilot. I’m just getting started so I have to take a conservative approach to safety and follow all the rules.

 

[Gilbert Buettner]

Ask yourself: Is this flight really necessary? Unless it is combat or medevac, the answer is always the same.

 

[Jeff Oslick]

Don't do anything that I'd be ashamed of reading in an accident report.

Learn everything you can about the airplane you're flying.

*Always* have an out, and do not hesitate to use it.

Be your own worst critic of your flying skills.

 

[MauleSkinner]

Compare book performance to your actual takeoff and landing distances when you’ve got plenty of runway so that if you find yourself in a tight spot you can make a decision based on knowledge rather than hope.

 

[Timbeck2]

Depends on what you call an incident. You can’t predict things like catastrophic engine failure, losing an alternator, tachometer out of control etc. do your best as others have said, to know your systems and what to do if you have an abnormal indication on your instruments. Maintain your aircraft well. Know that some “incidents “ are within your control, some are not.

 

[Daleandee]

God keeps me safe. Having said that, I believe it is my purpose to prove Him right!

 

[X3 Skier]

Always thinking "what if?" Since getting my certificate in 1969, I had an engine failure in 1971 and made an airport emergency landing with no damage to anything except the failed engine. Shortly after that, ran into low ceilings on a VFR flight that I pressed on stupidly and it almost got me. That was enough for me to continually ask "What If ?" every single time I walk to the plane after flight planning and preflight. AND also during the flight.

Since then, I really haven't had to ask "What If?" much after every flight, until the next one to start the process again.

 

[Lowflynjack]

Ask yourself: Is this flight really necessary? Unless it is combat or medevac, the answer is always the same.

My cousin flew a medical helicopter and after losing so many of them, they changed the rules. The crew is no longer allowed to know any details on the patient. Before, they would get a call and it would be a "newborn baby needs to be transported and probably won't make it otherwise" type of call, which put pressure on them.

 

[Zeldman]

My cousin flew a medical helicopter and after losing so many of them, they changed the rules. The crew is no longer allowed to know any details on the patient. Before, they would get a call and it would be a "newborn baby needs to be transported and probably won't make it otherwise" type of call, which put pressure on them.

^^This.^^

I never used the condition of the patient to make the go/no go decision. But I would double, triple check before saying no, even talking to the doctor to explain why we needed to wait. Just because the doctor wanted to get the patient out of his care was not a valid reason to take the flight.

But I was no super hero, I knew my limitations and stuck with published minimums.

 

[Gary Ward]

I am still flying a 172, 1600+ hrs since I got my PPL 9 years ago.
I also just fly for fun so I don't take chances on a XC.

The best thing that ever happened to me in aviation, is to become friends with the pilot in the hangar next door.
He has been flying for 44 years, 25K+ hours.
He is a standards check airmen for southwest, he's been a Captain for 24 years with SW.
He loves to fly GA, he has a arrow II and probably fly's more with me in my 172 than he does in his own plane. He loves to fly in just about anything certified.
I have learned so much from him since 2018. I am so lucky that he fly's with me in a 172.
He fly's with 4 of us at the airport doing our BFR and IPC.
But I am the only one he fly's with just for fun.
We have keys to each other's hangar and have become good friends. He also introduced me to his 50 year AP/IA. I learned plenty from Jim his AP.

I also fly a lot 4-7 days a week.

 

[eman1200]

I am still flying a 172……I also just fly for fun…...

Isn’t that an oxymoron?