Sometimes the Best Ability Is Accountability

Federal Aviation Regulations inform us how to maintain currency, but  NTSB accident statistics tell us that currency is not always sufficient to avoid having a bad day.

Among the most neglected skills are weight and balance, interpretation of weather reports, and airspace knowledge. Not to put too fine a point on it, but most of us know pilots who justify their unwillingness to practice and maintain these skills, often like this:

• "I don't need a weather report because I'm staying in the pattern."
• "I don't need to remember the cloud clearances and procedures for Class D airspace because I never fly there." 
• "I don't need to determine takeoff and landing distance for a 12,000-foot runway.”
• “I don’t need to be precise about weight and balance because it's just me in the airplane." 

You’re likely reading this in the comfort of your home or office and thinking, “Tsk tsk, I would never be so bone-headed.”

Well, did you calculate W&B before your last solo flight with no significant cargo weighing you down?

If the slope is starting to get slippery, consider these basic tasks to hold yourself accountable for your VFR proficiency. 

• Use your checklist in the pattern — you know, the written one collecting dust in your door pocket.
• Regularly fly to an airport you haven’t been to recently (or at all). Nothing sharpens the synapses like planning and going somewhere unfamiliar.
• Fly to both towered and non-towered airports.
• Practice soft/short takeoffs and landings. Ideally, practice shorts on a real soft surface (grass strip).
• Practice slips and go-arounds.
• Always do performance calculations and weight and balance before each flight.
• Join a local aviation club and take part in fly-ins/outs.
• If you scare yourself, get dual instruction from a qualified CFI. Even if your confidence in your proficiency is high, you should do this every six months.

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