Well I am going to disagree with SNS3 (as we have before).
His mantra appears to be don’t fly unless you are in a perfect state of mind.
I live in the real world.
I fly for business and pleasure. I know that meetings don’t always go well. I know sometimes my concentration is not as focused. I know sometimes I have had a hard week. Far better to accept reality and learn to recognise the signs, set your own limits, and work out what you need to do to perform as well as you can.
There is no substitute for a methodical approach. There are certain things I find I always do. I always take a look at the NOTAMs, I always brief the weather, I always review the route, what frequencies I need, what plates etc.
So for me the next sober moment is when I sit in the cockpit. I run through whether I have correctly completed the pre-flight and have everything I need for the flight itself. If I find I have missed an element it is a warning that something has got in the way; it is a good time to ask why and what I need to do to rectify matters. Sometimes it is the first sign that my mind was else where so I know I need to concentrate that little bit more.
I always tell myself more accidents happen on the ground than any where else. I have been close to a few myself! Too may pilot’s minds are elsewhere when they release the brakes or after they land. It is another good routine to remind myself not too rush and make sure I have assessed any hazards.
It is always interesting to watch other pilots when they take off. There are those with their eyes on the instruments, those with eyes on the instruments and looking forward and those with eyes also swivelling left, right and above. It is a good indicator to yourself whether you are immersed in flying or elsewhere; I know if I am too focused on the instruments or whats up front, I am going to need to concentrate that little bit extra for the rest of the flight.
So for me all of the afore are ways of catching any lack of preparation and far more importantly self assessing whether I am being too sloppy. If I have missed a few things and had to go back and redo them I know I should work doubly as hard during the en route sector to make sure I have briefed each phase of the flight.
IO540 is right on the money with regards to the advantage of a large moving map. It is just such complete nonsense to argue it is a crutch. Of course it is not a lot of good if you don’t understand the system and are working over time to press buttons. It is just the same if you struggle to keep up with an extra engine in a twin, but equally ridiculous to suggest that a second, third or fourth engine isn’t a good thing. In short use what you have, but make sure you know how to use it.
For me the in-flight segment is about two things – what is happening now, and what is going to happen next. We all know there are a host of elements to manage including briefing for the arrival, airspace, traffic, engine management etc.
It is vital not to become too focused on any one element. Whenever my head is working the cockpit I try and remain conscious of whether too much time has crept by since I last looked up – force yourself to look out so you don’t become distracted. Don’t just pay attention to the RT affecting your own call sign but listen to the general chatter – it is a super way of developing a mental picture of traffic and other issues. Ask yourself why a pilot is making a particular request – often it can give good clues about the weather or the landing conditions.
I am not going to bore the pants off you but there is of course a whole host of things you might want to do particularly during a busy IFR flight; doubtless the subject of another thread.
So having caught up on the thread drift will writing, SA has everything to do at one level with following a script – a good script will give you plenty of indicators that you are getting sloppy and focusing too hard or too long on a single element, but it also has everything to do with a developing a feel for the big picture which only really comes with experience and flying with those that can and do!
Finally to return to the never ending thread of glass versus conventional I can only imagine the detractors have never used glass. For me everything I need is on one screen, be it the airport plate, the traffic, the weather, the approach plate with the whole lot overlaid in real time. Yes of course you can put that together by cross referencing various other sources but if you really believe that to be a more effective way of achieving the same goal then I think your understanding of human factors is at best very limited.