{"id":16142,"date":"2017-11-24T15:43:14","date_gmt":"2017-11-24T19:43:14","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/hartzellprop.com\/?p=16142"},"modified":"2017-11-24T15:43:14","modified_gmt":"2017-11-24T19:43:14","slug":"staying-safe-skies-7-basic-pilot-safety-tips","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hartzellprop.com\/staying-safe-skies-7-basic-pilot-safety-tips\/","title":{"rendered":"Staying Safe in the Skies: 7 Basic Pilot Safety Tips"},"content":{"rendered":"

As we approach the winter months, it\u2019s always a good idea to brush up on some of the essentials of safe flying. Whether you\u2019re a student pilot or simply need a review, here are a few helpful reminders to ensure you keep yourself, your passengers, and your aircraft safe in the skies.<\/p>\n

Always use your checklist<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The importance of a pre-flight checklist cannot be overstated. Go through your checklist carefully and take your time. Avoid completing the checklist by memory or skipping a step to save time.<\/p>\n

Keep up with preventative maintenance<\/strong><\/h3>\n

One of the best ways to protect your investment and ensure you have a safe flight is by keeping up with regular preventative maintenance. Even if you\u2019re not a professional mechanic, the FAA allows pilots to complete certain maintenance projects on their aircraft. Make sure you have the proper maintenance manuals available for your aircraft and accurately record all maintenance work in the aircraft maintenance records. For more information, check out AOPA\u2019s guide to preventative maintenance<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Avoid distractions in the cockpit<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Between focusing on instruments, radio, ATC, and navigation, pilots have enough to worry about without unnecessary distractions<\/a> during flight. Many GA pilots choose to adopt the \u201csterile cockpit\u201d regulated by the FAA for airlines. This means that pilots and passengers remain from conversation and using distracting gadgets during critical stages of flight (usually below 10,000 feet). Staying on task and distraction-free can ensure you and your passengers remain safe during flight.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Don\u2019t rely on GPS alone<\/strong><\/h3>\n

While electronic navigation aids like GPS on your iPad or glass cockpit installed in your aircraft can be incredibly helpful, make sure these navigational aids are tools and not a crutch. You\u2019ll feel safer and more confident if you can fly without relying on GPS alone.<\/p>\n

Stay proficient<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The FAA sets minimum standards for currency, but not proficiency. According to AOPA<\/a>, \u201cProficiency in an aircraft includes normal operations as well as knowledge of the emergency procedures for the aircraft that you fly, as well as type of flying.\u201d In other words, maintaining proficiency means going above and beyond the legal requirements of currency. Whether you\u2019re a student pilot or a seasoned aviator, practicing performance maneuvers and training using simulator programs can enhance your skills and may even prevent accidents down the road.<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t feel pressured to fly<\/strong><\/h3>\n

If you have second thoughts about taking to the skies due to questionable weather or if you just have a gut feeling that it\u2019s a bad idea, don\u2019t be afraid to postpone your plans. Trust your intuition and remember there will always be another day to fly.<\/p>\n

Practice emergency procedures<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Hopefully, you\u2019ll never need to put your emergency skills to use, but that doesn\u2019t mean you shouldn\u2019t be prepared. Review the procedures for common flight emergencies every six months to ensure you\u2019re ready for anything. It\u2019s also a good idea to have an emergency \u201csurvival\u201d bag stored in your aircraft with items like a first aid kit, blanket, flashlight, food rations, and water.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

As we approach the winter months, it\u2019s always a good idea to brush up on some of the essentials of safe flying. Whether you\u2019re a student pilot or simply need a review, here are a few helpful reminders to ensure you keep yourself, your passengers, and your aircraft safe in the skies. Always use your […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":726,"featured_media":15120,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[119,143,93],"class_list":["post-16142","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog","tag-aviation","tag-pilot-safety","tag-pilots"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nStaying Safe in the Skies: 7 Basic Pilot Safety Tips - Hartzell Propeller<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"As we approach the winter months, it\u2019s always a good idea to brush up on some of the essentials of safe flying.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/hartzellprop.com\/staying-safe-skies-7-basic-pilot-safety-tips\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Staying Safe in the Skies: 7 Basic Pilot Safety Tips - Hartzell Propeller\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"As we approach the winter months, it\u2019s always a good idea to brush up on some of the essentials of safe flying.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/hartzellprop.com\/staying-safe-skies-7-basic-pilot-safety-tips\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Hartzell Propeller\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/HartzellProp\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2017-11-24T19:43:14+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/hartzellprop.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/FAA-gov.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2121\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1414\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Kern Patton\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@HartzellProp\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@HartzellProp\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Kern Patton\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hartzellprop.com\\\/staying-safe-skies-7-basic-pilot-safety-tips\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hartzellprop.com\\\/staying-safe-skies-7-basic-pilot-safety-tips\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Kern Patton\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hartzellprop.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/deef57ef7cfc97dda2ae76f3caa1cd05\"},\"headline\":\"Staying Safe in the Skies: 7 Basic Pilot Safety Tips\",\"datePublished\":\"2017-11-24T19:43:14+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hartzellprop.com\\\/staying-safe-skies-7-basic-pilot-safety-tips\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":522,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hartzellprop.com\\\/staying-safe-skies-7-basic-pilot-safety-tips\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hartzellprop.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/FAA-gov.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"aviation\",\"pilot safety\",\"pilots\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Blog\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hartzellprop.com\\\/staying-safe-skies-7-basic-pilot-safety-tips\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hartzellprop.com\\\/staying-safe-skies-7-basic-pilot-safety-tips\\\/\",\"name\":\"Staying Safe in the Skies: 7 Basic Pilot Safety Tips - Hartzell Propeller\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hartzellprop.com\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hartzellprop.com\\\/staying-safe-skies-7-basic-pilot-safety-tips\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hartzellprop.com\\\/staying-safe-skies-7-basic-pilot-safety-tips\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hartzellprop.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/FAA-gov.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2017-11-24T19:43:14+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hartzellprop.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/deef57ef7cfc97dda2ae76f3caa1cd05\"},\"description\":\"As we approach the winter months, it\u2019s always a good idea to brush up on some of the essentials of safe flying.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hartzellprop.com\\\/staying-safe-skies-7-basic-pilot-safety-tips\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/hartzellprop.com\\\/staying-safe-skies-7-basic-pilot-safety-tips\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hartzellprop.com\\\/staying-safe-skies-7-basic-pilot-safety-tips\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hartzellprop.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/FAA-gov.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hartzellprop.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/FAA-gov.jpg\",\"width\":2121,\"height\":1414,\"caption\":\"Men, Women, Private Airplane, High-Five, Travel, Anticipation,\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hartzellprop.com\\\/staying-safe-skies-7-basic-pilot-safety-tips\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hartzellprop.com\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Staying Safe in the Skies: 7 Basic Pilot Safety Tips\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hartzellprop.com\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hartzellprop.com\\\/\",\"name\":\"Hartzell Propeller\",\"description\":\"Airplane Propeller and Aircraft Propeller Systems\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hartzellprop.com\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hartzellprop.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/deef57ef7cfc97dda2ae76f3caa1cd05\",\"name\":\"Kern Patton\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/61af25dd033e5c3251ab748687d5ea00077b453746a4ca59f60711b9b3b85746?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/61af25dd033e5c3251ab748687d5ea00077b453746a4ca59f60711b9b3b85746?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/61af25dd033e5c3251ab748687d5ea00077b453746a4ca59f60711b9b3b85746?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Kern Patton\"},\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hartzellprop.com\\\/author\\\/kern-patton\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Staying Safe in the Skies: 7 Basic Pilot Safety Tips - Hartzell Propeller","description":"As we approach the winter months, it\u2019s always a good idea to brush up on some of the essentials of safe flying.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/hartzellprop.com\/staying-safe-skies-7-basic-pilot-safety-tips\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Staying Safe in the Skies: 7 Basic Pilot Safety Tips - Hartzell Propeller","og_description":"As we approach the winter months, it\u2019s always a good idea to brush up on some of the essentials of safe flying.","og_url":"https:\/\/hartzellprop.com\/staying-safe-skies-7-basic-pilot-safety-tips\/","og_site_name":"Hartzell Propeller","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/HartzellProp","article_published_time":"2017-11-24T19:43:14+00:00","og_image":[{"width":2121,"height":1414,"url":"https:\/\/hartzellprop.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/FAA-gov.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Kern Patton","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@HartzellProp","twitter_site":"@HartzellProp","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Kern Patton","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/hartzellprop.com\/staying-safe-skies-7-basic-pilot-safety-tips\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/hartzellprop.com\/staying-safe-skies-7-basic-pilot-safety-tips\/"},"author":{"name":"Kern Patton","@id":"https:\/\/hartzellprop.com\/#\/schema\/person\/deef57ef7cfc97dda2ae76f3caa1cd05"},"headline":"Staying Safe in the Skies: 7 Basic Pilot Safety Tips","datePublished":"2017-11-24T19:43:14+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/hartzellprop.com\/staying-safe-skies-7-basic-pilot-safety-tips\/"},"wordCount":522,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/hartzellprop.com\/staying-safe-skies-7-basic-pilot-safety-tips\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/hartzellprop.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/FAA-gov.jpg","keywords":["aviation","pilot safety","pilots"],"articleSection":["Blog"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/hartzellprop.com\/staying-safe-skies-7-basic-pilot-safety-tips\/","url":"https:\/\/hartzellprop.com\/staying-safe-skies-7-basic-pilot-safety-tips\/","name":"Staying Safe in the Skies: 7 Basic Pilot Safety Tips - Hartzell Propeller","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/hartzellprop.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/hartzellprop.com\/staying-safe-skies-7-basic-pilot-safety-tips\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/hartzellprop.com\/staying-safe-skies-7-basic-pilot-safety-tips\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/hartzellprop.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/FAA-gov.jpg","datePublished":"2017-11-24T19:43:14+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/hartzellprop.com\/#\/schema\/person\/deef57ef7cfc97dda2ae76f3caa1cd05"},"description":"As we approach the winter months, it\u2019s always a good idea to brush up on some of the essentials of safe flying.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/hartzellprop.com\/staying-safe-skies-7-basic-pilot-safety-tips\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/hartzellprop.com\/staying-safe-skies-7-basic-pilot-safety-tips\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/hartzellprop.com\/staying-safe-skies-7-basic-pilot-safety-tips\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/hartzellprop.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/FAA-gov.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/hartzellprop.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/FAA-gov.jpg","width":2121,"height":1414,"caption":"Men, Women, Private Airplane, High-Five, Travel, Anticipation,"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/hartzellprop.com\/staying-safe-skies-7-basic-pilot-safety-tips\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/hartzellprop.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Staying Safe in the Skies: 7 Basic Pilot Safety Tips"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/hartzellprop.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/hartzellprop.com\/","name":"Hartzell Propeller","description":"Airplane Propeller and Aircraft Propeller Systems","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/hartzellprop.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/hartzellprop.com\/#\/schema\/person\/deef57ef7cfc97dda2ae76f3caa1cd05","name":"Kern Patton","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/61af25dd033e5c3251ab748687d5ea00077b453746a4ca59f60711b9b3b85746?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/61af25dd033e5c3251ab748687d5ea00077b453746a4ca59f60711b9b3b85746?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/61af25dd033e5c3251ab748687d5ea00077b453746a4ca59f60711b9b3b85746?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Kern Patton"},"url":"https:\/\/hartzellprop.com\/author\/kern-patton\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hartzellprop.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16142","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hartzellprop.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hartzellprop.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hartzellprop.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/726"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hartzellprop.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=16142"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/hartzellprop.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16142\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":16143,"href":"https:\/\/hartzellprop.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16142\/revisions\/16143"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hartzellprop.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/15120"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hartzellprop.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16142"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hartzellprop.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=16142"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hartzellprop.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=16142"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}