The issue a great number of pilots have, especially when they are just starting out is funding. Many early pilots remain on the ground for extended periods simply because of the cost of flight. This causes fresh pilots to quickly lose the skill they had just learned.
Operation of an aircraft is certainly a perishable skill, which can deteriorate even after as little as a couple of weeks on the ground. So finding a way to maintain those skills is crucial. One highly inexpensive technique is chair-flying. This is the make believe equivalent of flying, where the pilot uses their mind's eye to place themselves in the cockpit and then fly through an imaginary flight. For very new pilots, a poster of the cockpit helps significantly. I myself have a C172 glass cockpit poster up on my wall to help me transition from steam gauges. For those who spend a fair amount of time in controlled airspace, partner up with a friend and practice radio calls, even if they aren't a pilot. A good rule of thumb is if you can teach it, you know it, meaning that if you are able to explain flight maneuvers and communications you can reasonably assume you know them.
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These days many pilots come equipped with such devices as the CX series flight computers and the E6B phone app, including myself. There is a great fundamental flaw in this: batteries die. We've all been there; we reach for the remote to mute the really loud commercial only to find the batteries dead. This is why it is always vital to A: carry spares, and B: have a manual computer. such as the E6B or CR-6.
During my training out of KGRR I had never even been introduced to the idea of a CX. It wasn't until I arrived for my collegiate training that caught wind of the CX-2, upon which I quickly ordered the CX-3. My immediate hesitation to using the CX-3 in the air was my unfamiliarity of its capabilities, but more importantly its limitations. I am still unsure as to what it is and is not able to do. Hence the personal policy of carrying my old reliable E6B, which I had been using for two years before ever flying an aircraft, and am highly comfortable with. For those out there who say "well I know my CX better than my CR" I choose to respond with a simple "fix that." Being unfamiliar with the manual systems is like knowing auto-pilot, but not stick and rudder, its just a plain old bad idea. In an emergency, skip the calculator, go strait to the hard steel wiz-wheel (or plastic, if that is the case). Many may find that an initial solo flight is daunting and even scary. The idea of being up in the air and entirely alone is a scary thought, but a solo pilot rarely is alone. The use of radios instantaneously puts a vast amount of resources in range of the pilot's thumb.
ATC can be one of the most useful and life saving resources available to a pilot. They know where you are, where you were, and where you are going. They can provide a great deal of life saving information, including bearings, weather, traffic, and potential emergency landing sites. If a pilot is lost, ATC can readily give a bearing to the nearest anything, whether it be a lake or a VOR. A prime example is progressive taxi; ground control will lead you step by step on the airfield. FSS is another incredible resource. FSS exists entirely to aid pilots. They can handle anything from a standard weather briefing to ordering a pizza and having it waiting for the pilot and his passengers (or so I've been told). Even other aircraft can help out a pilot. They can provide a weather and traffic check for uncontrolled airports, or fly slightly lower and confirm gear down. By radioing ahead you can find out how busy an uncontrolled field is, or if anyone is there at all. Other aircraft can be a huge help, not just to aircraft but also to ATC. I've been requested by my home tower to listen on 121.5 during a busy period so they could direct aircraft while I handled checking for an ELT (no worries, there wasn't one). If you don't know the frequencies for any of these services they can be found here under the 'comms' tab. |
Photo used under Creative Commons from C. P. Ewing