Good and Bad Habits during Flying Training

[Politically_Blonde]

As an older student in the earlier stages of training towards my CPL I would be interested if some of the more experienced pilots could tell me some good habits to get into with my flying, and also perhaps outline the bad ones that i should avoid.

I am interested to hear anything that will make me an all-round better pilot.

Kind Regards.

PB

[amishtechie]

Co-ordinated foot work. nothing tops good old fashion stick and rudder skill. :ok:

[tmpffisch]

I'm not experienced at all but do have recently done the PPL>CPL journey, so my addition to the post is to

Take the leadership in traffic separation, if you hear another aircraft on the CTAF, take the initiative and make contact with them, rather than just monitoring what they're doing, with the hope that you'll eyeball them, or that they'll avoid you. For all you know they're less experienced and they'll happy cruise along without a care about other traffic.
Work on nailing your radio calls to the AIP standard.
Log accurate ETE's and revising them enroute, plus groundspeed and fuel/mins remaining.
Fly as precise as you can.
Clean your windows.
Go on a long hourbuilding trip, at least a couple of days. I went away, alone for a week, flew 28 hours and learnt more in that trip than I ever had. It greatly raised what type of weather/conditions I could handle, went into some major airports and controlled airspace, as well as remote Australia and met some great people. Turn off the GPS and remember that "time map ground" does work and there are some simple rules of thumb to calculate everything you need enroute.Some other posts that helped were
http://www.pprune.org/dg-p-general-aviation-questions/336027-tricks-tips-suggestions-experienced.html
http://www.pprune.org/dg-p-general-aviation-questions/354634-i-learnt.html
http://www.pprune.org/dg-p-general-aviation-questions/279192-weather-good-go.html
http://www.pprune.org/d-g-general-aviation-questions/83935-how-navigate-visually.html

[HEALY]

1) deoderant always....smelling next to someone in a cockpit for a few hours is an all too unpleasant experience. An under shirt always works well.
2) dont take the huge leather suitcase with complete Jepps and 8 pairs of Kim Jong Ill sunglasses with you on the 3 hour Nav in the bush.
3) show respect to everyone (filter out the BS) because you never know what connections people may have
4) Dont crash

Have fun

[Checkboard]

At this stage? Simply don't let yourself settle for less than perfect standards. Cruising at a constant 30 feet off assigned altitude or climbing 2 knots off speed - should all annoy you!

Look after the pennies and the pounds take care of themselves. :ok:


Have Fun!

[ConfigFull]

To all students out there - stop watching yourself flying!! I don't care that the aircraft shadow always seems to sit perfectly in view outside of the left window - fly the aircraft!

Back to a more normal note, I really only notice this on very young students.

My favourite good habit is properly maintaining altitude, none of this near enough is good enough stuff. Just because CASA says you can descend +-50/100/150ft (depending on level) doesn't mean it's right or accurate.

Trim, trim, trim, trim, trim. If you do it properly throughout all stages of flight, the aircraft will fly itself and you have one less thing to worry about. Very pertinent as you come into land and also during diversions.

If there's a GPS, use it effectively or not at all. Have everything set up on the ground for the leg there and also the return. Don't be surprised if this "fails" early on in the flight though!

Finally, have your radio calls sorted for all airspace. This will make things just a little bit easier when you're under pressure and just like trimming properly it's one less thing to think about.

That was more of a rant than help but hope everything goes well!

[Aerozepplin]

Look out! It's still something I have to make a concentrated effort on to do well, possibly because of a poor scan technique. Make an effort to always be searching for aircraft, and to try and find ones who have given a position report in your area. It takes time to learn the art.

There's the story of the WWI ace Eddie Rickenbacker being taken up for his first flight at the front and being asked how many enemy planes he'd spotted, of which he’d seen none. Then being informed there'd be a considerable number and that he had a lot to learn. (which it would seem he did!)

[slowbus]

Look first before you do anything.
Try to keep a few steps or more ahead of the aircraft.
Strive to fly within tolerances (Regs, SOPs etc)
Don't to get to fixated on the little things. Think of the bigger picture.
Try to avoid flying through big tall puffy clouds.
Make sure you are carrying sufficient fuel.
Be prepared for something to go wrong.
Communicate effectively.
If in doubt, don't be afraid ask again!

[ROH111]

crashing is a bad habit.

[clear to land]

You are your own worst critic-if not: you should be! Always strive for accuracy-don't accept 'near enough'. If you are on a long, marginal fuel flight never pass a fuel stop along the way. Keep a close eye on Temp/Dewpoint splits (even if the forecast is benign) especially after 0400! KNOW your aircraft limitations. Always leave the aircraft how you would like to find it! Enjoy the view: this helps your lookout. It is only a dumb question if you DON'T ask it. Remember, you are worth what you think you are. HAVE FUN! :ok:

[kellykelpie]

Agree with Checkboard. A disciplined instrument scan will serve you well, even on a fly-by-wire aircraft following multiple failures (a given during command training). Be disciplined and create the habits now that will serve you well during your career.

[Shredder6]

The flight starts when you get out of bed, and only ends when the aircraft is tied down and you're having a beer at the pub.

Plan.

Lookout before doing anything.

Never assume.

Never rush.

Keep your aeroplane clean - Interior, windows, exterior (wings and underneath fuselage in particular).

Fly accurately and in balance.

Challenge yourself but don't be afraid to turn back or go-around.

[dudduddud]

Verbalise everything.

Your instructor will tell you this but it is very important. Before you do anything, like turning, changing the throttle, pitch, mixture, anything at all, say what you are doing and why you are doing it.

It is a good habit to get into because the flight examiner is going to want to hear it.

Here are a couple of examples:

1) In my type, after takeoff we climb at 80 knots to say 500ft then enter a cruise climb at 90 knots. The reason we do this is that 80 knots is the best rate of climb and gets us to a safe altitude as quickly as possible. We then lower the nose and continue the climb at 90 knots because with a lower nose attitude, we have better forward visibility and the increased speed means better engine cooling.

Before lowering the nose, I was taught to say 'I am now going to lower the nose to climb at 90 knots which gives us better forward visibility and increased engine cooling'.

Then you lower the nose.

2) Forced landing without power.

If you are on the downwind leg of the forced landing without power but you're too close to the field, you will want to turn away from the field slightly to improve the spacing. Tell the instructor or examiner that is what you are doing. "I am turning away from the field to achieve correct spacing."

You'd think it would be pretty obvious why you are doing these things like increased spacing or lowering the nose but you want them to know that you know what you are doing.


Verbalise ALL lookouts "clear left, clear ahead, clear right".

Coming into land: "I am a little bit high so what I am going to do is [bla bla bla]" and then do it.

Basically the key is to talk talk talk. As you said, your next hurdle is the CPL and the examiner wants to hear you rationalise every single thing you do.

Learn the flight manual for the type you will likely sit the test in. Know it back-to-front. Your flying school will likely have a copy you can study.

Learn the rules and regulations; they will ask some pretty obscure things in the test.

Learn the climate for your area. The examiner might ask you about what the effects of certain things like cold fronts have on the area and how the terrain has an impact on it.

[Lodown]

Good habit: always have at least two options. The one you plan on doing and the second in case your first plan goes tits up. Bad habits tend to get in the way of recognising when to resort to the second plan.

[Atlas Shrugged]

Never rush.

Yep!

There is ABSOLUTELY NOTHING that ever needs to be done in or around an aircraft in a hurry.

[777WakeTurbz]

When conducting Nav training, whether it be PPL, CPL, CIR, Charter, Airwork, day or night if you find yourself with nothing to do, chances are there is something you should be doing. :ok:

Log complete, fuel calcs and tank selections, GS checks, Radios (upcoming freq etc), Approach review (if Instrument rated) if coming up to an AD with established approaches, even if you may not have to do one, get into the habit. Obviously most of this should be included in TopD and TopC checks, so make sure they are done properly.

This will help immensely in keeping you ahead of your aircraft. :ok:

[Joker 10]

Don't show off, avoid the temptation to say "watch this" a little humble conservatism will keep you alive.

Never rush, anything that happens airborne will give you time to think it out.

[Dashtrash]

First and foremost, enjoy. It can be hard work at times but it should at the end be what you want to do.

A bit more specific.
Nail down the fundamentals. There's a standard format for position/departure/arrival etc radio calls. Get them in your head now so that when other things demand your attention, it's one little thing that's easy.
Don't get carried away by the flash looking equipment in todays trainers. Future airline pilots don't need to learn on glass cockpit Cessnas with integrated avionics etc. Pilots need to learn how to fly. I've had many occourences in Boeing and airbus where the technology is tits up and attitude flying is the order of the day. same as i did on light singles. attitude and power is all you need. the other stuff is just window dressing.
Ask questions. Nobody has ever died of embarresment. If there's something you're not sure of, ask.
Make sound descisions. Not necessarily perfect ones but base your descisions on good info and good practice.
Have fun
DT

[ResumeOwnNav]

Take the leadership in traffic separation, if you hear another aircraft on the CTAF, take the initiative and make contact with them, rather than just monitoring what they're doing, with the hope that you'll eyeball them, or that they'll avoid you. For all you know they're less experienced and they'll happy cruise along without a care about other traffic.
Work on nailing your radio calls to the AIP standard.
Log accurate ETE's and revising them enroute, plus groundspeed and fuel/mins remaining.
Fly as precise as you can.
Clean your windows.
Go on a long hourbuilding trip, at least a couple of days. I went away, alone for a week, flew 28 hours and learnt more in that trip than I ever had. It greatly raised what type of weather/conditions I could handle, went into some major airports and controlled airspace, as well as remote Australia and met some great people. Turn off the GPS and remember that "time map ground" does work and there are some simple rules of thumb to calculate everything you need enroute.


excellent advice tmpffisch and as was said above. Don't be afraid to use the radio! If you are unsure of their position/misheard their call and believe their track may conflict with yours ask them to clarify their track/height/quadrant/ETA etc.

One more thing, when inbound to a CTAF and you hear traffic call inbound at TOPD say around 50nm and you have the same/close ETA tell us then. You don't have to wait to you are 10nm. Tell us early so we can organise seperation or slow to facilitate circuit joining. Nothing more annoying than 3 aircraft inbound who have spoken to each other early, organised seperation and then one surprise aircraft calls 4 minutes out with an ETA smack bang in the middle of all the arrivals! Throws an unnecessary spanner in the works. Pilot to Pilot communication is not the devil.

Nav.

[AerocatS2A]

Verbalise everything.

Your instructor will tell you this but it is very important. Before you do anything, like turning, changing the throttle, pitch, mixture, anything at all, say what you are doing and why you are doing it.

It is a good habit to get into because the flight examiner is going to want to hear it.
Definitely do this, while you are a student. Once you become part of a multi pilot crew your other half doesn't really care to hear everything you are about to do just before you do it. So yes, good advice for a student, but know when to stop.

My bit of advice, always have a plan B and use it before it's too late.

[SM227]

hmm, be careful about saying everything out loud, ive known some ATO's to go "oh, is that right, so tell me, what happens if...." suddenly you dont know the answer, your stressing, trying to remember what the hell the answer is, and then suddenly you realise you flew through your altitude or are 20 dergees of heading :ugh: test over! :(

The message:
Keep flying the aeroplane!

[tmpffisch]

I have to agree. You need to be careful that you don't say too much.
Personally, I wouldn't bother explaining that in a climb, you're holding a particular attitude and speed, and are increasing MP's throughout the climb for 3 particular reasons that you then go into detail with.....theory for the CPL comes before the actual flight when you do your KDR's.

The only thing I would verbalise is "we are currently at ___ on the map, the next town coming up is ___, our groundspeed is approximately ___, and our estimate for our destination is ____". And verbalise your checks such as CLEAROFF, BUMPFISH, PUFF etc. Otherwise, I like to have a good chat with the ATO :ok:

[Inbound Outbound]

Yeah I agree with tmpffisch 100%!

Make sure you do your CLEAROFF checks atleast every 5 minutes or so, or whenever you feel you need to.

Having a good LAP(Lookout - Attitude - Performance) cycle will definitely give you a good scan outside and inside the cockpit.

A very usefull check i always love to use is the WANDER check. This check is great for an unexpected inflight diversion:

W-Wind/Weather (Most importantly, where's the wind coming from?)
A-Airspace (do you need a clearance to transit?)
N-NOTAMs
D-Daylight (when is the EOD?)
E-Endurance (Have you got enough fuel for the diversion?)
R-Radio (Do i need a clearance OR amend a flight plan OR amend a SARTIME? etc.)


Just a little something.

In Out.

[Gmac115]

Wow some great advice here.
8 things Im big on:
1.If you think its going to take you 1.5 hours to plan & pre flight, get out there 3 hours before. Take your time and relax. Over prepare!
2.. Be accurate with heights/headings and PLEASE fly the dam thing in balance. The rudder aint a foot rest! :ugh:
3. De-brief yourself before the instructor does. What can you do better?
4.Enjoy yourself! Remember why you are doing it! :ok:
5.When you stuff up (and you will) move on and forget about it.
6. Professionalism! Shave, Ironed shirt, loose the piercings & the pink hair, Dont call the ATO "mate" or by their first name.
7. Big personal one... I plead with my students DO not EVER use the words "about" "sort of" "maybe" "thats about right" when your flying. A mid Flight exit has been threatened... :E
8. Best thing i ever did.. Get an experienced instructor and get out there in marginal conditions. See what its like so the first time your in it by yourself you have confidence in your decision making abilities.

[j3pipercub]

There are a lot of people here making it harder than it has to be.

Flight starts when I get out of bed? Hell, which time? If I hit the snooze button is that split duty? What do you call the ATO then? Your holiness? Oh great knowledge-able one? Please don't say sir, although it would set you up well for QF. And Verbalising everything? C'mon guys.

PB,

There are so very many differing opinions about what to do and you cannot possibly follow them all as quite a lot tend to be contradictory as you can see. A mistake that can happen early on is over-confidence . It is best in the early stages of flying to try and keep your mouth shut and ears open, unless asking questions. I try and follow my own advice as much as possible, helps prevent foot in mouth syndrome or removing all doubt as it were. I have seen quite a few young hot-shots humbled very quickly by their big mouths. If you approach your flying with an open mind and undying determination, you will succeed, but no-one is mistake free.

Good Luck

j3

[TexanPilot]

There are a lot of people here making it harder than it has to be.


There are a few people that I think are over dramatising things but over all there is some good advise here.

I think my main habits are:

1. I assume that any other pilot I come into contact with in the air has no idea what they are doing (no offence meant to anyone). This may sound a bit egotistical but it has helped me in a lot of situations.

2. There is always something to do, even if you are sitting there bored (as I am most of the time) I run through "What Ifs"... What if I lose an engine, What if I have to divert, what if I have to get on the ground ASAP.

3. Always have a couple of options available for different situations.

But I think the main thing is (as has been said a few times) enjoy yourself, if you don't you will have a very short career.:ok:

P.s. sorry about the spelling and gramar, its stupid o'clock in the morning :zzz:

[Aerohooligan]

I apologise if I reiterate anything anyone has already said, but I've found a few out during my short aviation career (550tt, 430com):

Work out and nail your rotate, climb, approach and landing speeds. It will result in much smoother takeoffs, landings and improved performance on climb.

Don't be a throttle-basher. Very smooth application and reduction of power, in anticipation of flying something bigger with a less forgiving engine(s) later on.

Footwork - it may not be second nature right now, but I've noticed passengers appreciate it very much when you can keep the ball close to the middle at all times.

Paperwork - part of your job is to fill out copious amounts of paperwork. Make sure you do so in blue or black pen, write neatly and make notes to clear up any ambiguities. Sounds silly but there's nothing more frustrating than a pax manifest filled out in pencil for example - it's inadmissible as a legal document should CASA come knocking.

Presentation - yourself and your aircraft. Always have your uniform (or whatever you wear flying) clean, ironed and not smelling rank. Same goes for you - make sure to shower and deodorise. Always, always, always clean your aircraft before and after each flight: windscreen polished, oil stains wiped off cowling, bugs cleaned off wherever possible, seatbelts dressed etc.

Always be willing to learn from the mistakes and experience of others. This does not mean to say that just because X has 1300 hours they are always right and you should take everything they say as gospel - but never be afraid to admit you were wrong or ignorant and take the time to look it up and learn from the experience. Just do make sure before you start doing anything on the recommendation of others you look up the documents to determine its legality and safety then if it works for you, go for it.

Some people are saying verbalise all your checks, others say no. I say do it. Not forever, but until they are that well internalised that you can run through the checklist accurately from memory then check off against the hardcopy in your kit. I verbalise about once a week to jog my memory and make sure I'm not missing anything, the rest of the time it's done in my head.

And one last thing I learnt the hard way - don't be vulnerable to getting riled up. Stuff happens that will mess up your day, be it ATC giving you a ****ty clearance, weather screwing up your day by forcing you down low or passengers throwing up everywhere (yeah, it happens!). The thing you need to remember is that you can't really control any of this and remain cool, calm and professional. I don't know you to know your temperament, but it's a lesson I learnt anyway.

These habits are certainly more applicable in a charter environment, but I think if you start to think about and implement some or all of these on both your dual and solo nav exes it will serve you well in future. However, I am not by any means the most knowledgeable expert. ;)

Best of luck with the rest of your training! :ok:

[triadic]

Some good points here....

Verbalising everything?

Don't know if they still do it, however the USAF used to talk all the time in a multicrew environment. Cant be all bad?

Airmanship
Is everything from cleaning the a/c when you have finished with it, inside and out - a rag over the cowl goes a long way, cross the seat belts, use the chocks and the control lock/s and always look behind when starting and/or doing a run-up. Set the instruments/radios for the next flight if you know where it is going. Lift the wing in a highwing a/c before turning in that direction etc etc.... and a thousand and one more! Treat others and the system as you would like to be treated. And of course double check all entries before you hit the Enter button!

[AerocatS2A]

Don't know if they still do it, however the USAF used to talk all the time in a multicrew environment. Cant be all bad?
It depends on what you're talking about. There are things that need to be communicated between crew members and then there are things that should remain silent. If I say something to the other pilot, I need to know they've heard me, on the other hand I don't need to hear him announcing everything he's doing as part of a scan (while I'm probably concentrating on my own ****.)

[glekichi]

Do not become dependent on your checklist. It's a 'check' list, not a 'to do' list.

Seriously, I've come across people approaching the CPL flight test that couldn't even start the engine, let alone fly the damn thing, if they lost their checklist - in a Cessna single!
(Not their fault, but the instructor's)

[Sierra-Kilo]

Very good advice on here!

Although the CPL altitude tolerance is 100ft aim for perfection

nail airspeeds- near enough is not good enough
if you're over that threshold at the correct airspeed you should be able to know the exact timing of your touchdown- "round out to fly level, hold off hold off hold off"

Keep in balance-Right Rudder!

Situational Awareness- Make contact with nearby aircraft and no where they are at all times!

Clear your nose every 500ft on climb to clear blind spots

Make sure your checking Full rpm, airspeed increasing and temp green on T/O and check Flaps up, Oil temps/Press green and maintaining centreline 300ft AGL

Always park and turn into wind to avoid stone damage to your prop and full back elevator on dirt strips to raise nose and again avoid stone chips to the prop

Hope thats helpful.......oh and always be aware of where your wingtips are when taxying or pushing aircraft ,common mistake to damage wings on other a/c -hanger doors-trees ect.

[soseg]

Never forget to cancel your sartime. I learned that the hard way once :) But like all things; learning the hard way usually sticks. I like to set an alarm in my phone 30mins prior so whether I'm in the plane I'll feel it vibrating or on the ground I'll be reminded... just incase :ok:

[plucka]

Some good advice here.

Some things you should keep in the back of your head.

Remember, if you find yourself under stress in the cockpit,
AVIATE, NAVIGATE, COMMUNICATE in that order, always.

Be mindful of 'gethereitis', it is a very real syndrome. Dont push the weather. Always remember you are much better off being down here wishing you were up there, than up there wishing you were down here!

The only time you can have too much fuel is when you are on fire!

'WATCH THIS' are the two most dangerous words in aviation.

I wish you the best of luck with it.

[Aerozepplin]

The only time you can have too much fuel is when you are on fire! John Deakin has a good go at that one in one of his topics.
"Pelican's Perch" Index (http://www.avweb.com/news/pelican/182146-1.html)
Pelican's Perch #7:<br>Run That Fuel Tank Dry! (http://www.avweb.com/news/pelican/182044-1.html)

There's some excellent excellent stuff in there. There are a few things that go against what most people would have been taught, but his reasoning is always very good. If I was ever in a position of overseeing an operation (CP, CFI etc) I'd have a careful read through his works for useful pieces of goodness.

[Ando1Bar]

One of the worst student habits I see late in their training (CPL and CIR) is poor attitude flying. Remember lessons 1 and 2?

POWER + ATTITUDE = PERFORMANCE!!!!

Don't just turn/descend/climb the aeroplane without looking outside at the nose attitude you've just selected. Same applies to flying on instruments - the AI (or AH to some) is your friend - don't change flightpath by scanning the performance instruments only - DI, altimeter etc. Learn and set the correct attitude first, then check, adjust, retrim. Practice this basic skill while building your 10 hours instrument flying leading up to the CPL.

A poor bit of advice is 'you should always be doing something on a nav'. Sorry, but that's bull****. If you're ahead of the aeroplane, completed the CLEAROF checks etc just fly the damn plane. Guess what? You'll fly more accurately and you'll see more ahead and around the aeroplane. Your passengers will thank you for the accurate flying later on.

[AerocatS2A]

A poor bit of advice is 'you should always be doing something on a nav'. Sorry, but that's bull****.
The point is that many people find that if they think have nothing to do, they have probably forgotten something. So maybe the advice should be that if you think there is nothing to do, have a rethink and make sure everything that needs to be done really has been. If it's all been done, then sure, relax for a bit and save your brain for when you need it, but make sure you know when you next need to be doing something.

There is also a danger in trying to be too far ahead of the aeroplane. During my initial sim training on a turboprop, my buddy and I were so intent on being ahead of the aircraft that we were dicking around getting an ATIS for the destination when we should've been doing climbing transition checks :hmm:.

[Ando1Bar]

Good points, agree fully Aerocat:ok: