News

IM SAFE: Are You Really?

ByHank Gibson February 16, 2016

As pilots, we are all familiar with the IM SAFE acronym that the FAA puts out. It comes up as part of the ground training over Human Factors during private pilot ground school. We all memorize it, spit it out for our check rides, then most of us promptly forget about it.

When I was training for my pilot’s licenses, I was at a Part 141 school that was very standardized (LeTourneau University, who has a fabulous aviation school). Before each flight, we had to do a self evaluation based on the weather and the IM SAFE checklist. Based on our answers, we would then determine if the conditions were conducive to flying as well as if I was physically okay to fly.

This was a great tool because not only do pilots have to pre-flight the airplane, they also need to pre-flight themselves. It’s very easy to fall into one of the “Hazardous Attitudes” if there is a pressing meeting or you haven’t flown in a while and it’s a beautiful day, but maybe you aren’t physically fit to control an airplane.

Let’s break down the IM SAFE checklist to dig a little deeper into the physically fit side of flying.

Illness

This one is pretty easy. Are you sick? If so, how sick? If you can’t hardly talk or your body feels like it was hit by a truck, then flying probably isn’t in your best interest.

The tricky area can become if you are only a little sick. Maybe you have a cough or a little cold or a headache is starting to form. You probably could go fly, but is it really a good idea? It could be something worse, or it may be nothing. You have to know yourself and put limits on yourself before you wake up on the day of your big meeting two states over. Set illness personal minimums and stick to them.

Medication

There are a slew of drugs, both prescription and over the counter, that pilots cannot take and fly. AOPA has a hotline to call for pilots to find out if they can fly with the medication they are taking, or what meds they can take to give them relief and still operate an aircraft.

Another great resource is your medical examiner. Just give him/her a call and they will be more than happy to let you know what you can and can’t take. They’ve been educated in the area of aviation so they are very knowledgeable.

Stress

Stressometer This is a huge one that pilots ignore a lot. Maybe it was a stressful day at work, maybe you are running late to the airport, your meeting got moved up, whatever. Stress can jump on you and mess up a pilot’s thinking very quickly. If you have a lot of other things on your mind and you aren’t able to focus just on flying, it might be a good idea to stay on the ground.

Alcohol

Out of the whole IM SAFE list, the alcohol limitations are very clearly defined. 8 hours bottle to throttle, no more than 0.04% BAC, no operating an airplane while under the influence, and no carrying passengers who are visibly intoxicated. For your personal minimums, it’s a good idea to increase that time to 12, 18 or even 24 hours bottle to throttle.

Fatigue

Learning to fly while a college student led to a fair share of canceled flights due to fatigue. I operate best on 8 hours of sleep in the past 24 hours. I can function on 6, but anything less than 6 hours, my performance drastically drops off, sometimes to a point where I wouldn’t be safe. I discovered this while with my flight instructor attempting to do a holding pattern and completely botching it up.

I observed this as a CFI quite often. If I was doing ground with a student and they were struggling, my first question would be, how much sleep did you get last night? More often than not, if I had to ask that question, I would get an average answer of 3 to 4 hours (I even had one guy show up for a flight block on 2 hours sleep. I sent him back to the dorm).

Fatigue is very easily overlooked because it’s not measurable. Needing to get a flight lesson done or needing to get somewhere when you are obviously fatigued is not a good idea. Make sure you get a good night’s sleep before a flight and don’t be afraid to cancel if you didn’t. Set some sleep personal minimums and make them hard and fast.

Eating

Don’t skip meals and fly. Performance greatly decreases when a pilot is hungry. At the very least, stick a couple of food bars in your flight bag to give you some nourishment.

Also, stay hydrated, especially in the summer time. I carry a huge bottle of water with me on all my flights because I get headaches if I don’t drink enough. Getting dehydrated on a long flight can lead to all sorts of performance problems (over hydration is also a problem in the air, but that’s what Gatorade bottles are for, right?).

All this to say, have some personal minimums when it comes to you and your body. Check the plane, check the weather and check yourself. If anything falls in the “red” area in any one of those three categories, stay on the ground and don’t press your luck.

Flying Eyes Sunglasses
ByHank Gibson March 29, 2018August 27, 2018

I am on a mission in flying for my head to be as comfortable as possible. I’m currently going through the process of experimenting with different ANR headsets to see which ones squeeze my head the least (which I’ll be writing a future article about). In the meantime, I decided to focus on sunglasses.

I wear glasses (can’t do contacts anymore since they irritate my eyes), so anytime I have a headset on, I have frames running underneath my ear cups. I had a pair of prescription sunglasses for years that were okay, but still caused soreness above my ears after more than 3 hours of flying. I routinely fly 4-5 hours a day in training folks, so I had to find a better solution.

I saw an ad in Flying Magazine one month for Flying Eyes sunglasses. It was a relatively new company with a cool concept. A pilot started the company with the goal to create as thin a pair of sunglasses frames as possible to increase the comfort and decrease the ANR loss when wearing sunglasses. What the company came up with is pretty cool.

The ultra-thin frames on the all the different Flying Eyes models are made out of Resilamide. The material is so strong that the frames can be bent back and forth while not breaking. The company even brags that the frames are virtually unbreakable. I had to try these out.

I ordered a pair of the Golden Eagle Sport sunglasses. The process of getting prescription lenses in them was no big deal and took about a week. The eyeglasses shop initially thought the shape of the lens could be an issue, but it proved no problem at all. The lens manufacturer even managed to chip the frames, but Flying Eyes sent a new set of frames for free, even though it was not at all their fault.

In about a month and a half of flying with them, they are very comfortable. Some squeeze on the side of my head after extended periods of wear underneath a headset, but I’m exploring headset options currently (see above). Much improved over my last set of sunglasses.

Flying Eyes offers several different frame models, some of which are prescription compatible and some which aren’t. The Golden Eagle Sport frames run about $180. Orders can be placed on the Flying Eyes website.

Ordering new sunglasses from Flying Eyes? Use this link to receive 10% off your order.
The PIC Isn’t Always the Pilot Who Took Off
ByAnne Pargeter November 10, 2016December 1, 2016

You are at cruising altitude and your flight is going just as planned. All of that can change, sometimes without much warning, and you, the non-pilot, are now in charge. Would you know what to do?

This was a scary thought for me until I attended a seminar developed for the non-flyer at a Cirrus Owners Pilot Association (COPA) fly-in. Cirrus is the only small plane with a parachute as standard, so I thought all I had to do in an emergency was pull the chute. It’s a little more complicated than that!
I learned the vast majority of pilot incapacitation happens when the plane is at cruising altitude, so there is time to find a solution.

I was taught ten basic steps to follow to bring the plane safely to the ground.
- First attempt to revive the pilot. If he is choking, it is possible to do a Heimlich maneuver from the side. This may dislodge whatever is blocking his airway and solve the problem. If he is experiencing hypoxia, turn off the heat, open all vents, and, if you have on board oxygen, use it. Also, if you can, get instructions on how to descend to a lower altitude. If the pilot is unconscious due to a heart attack or other medical emergency, there are still things you can do from the right seat.
- Engage the autopilot if it isn’t already on and move the pilot off the controls. *
- Ensure you are connected to the radio. If you hear ATC or other pilots, you are.
- Send an electronic trouble message. Set the transponder to 7-7-0-0 to identify your plane to ATC. This will cause your plane to be highlighted on ATC radar screens.
- ATC will most likely contact you asking what is your emergency. If this does not happen, you will need to transmit a Mayday call. All non-pilot passengers should know how to use the radio to get help, if they know nothing else.
- With help from ATC, decide where you want to go.
- Use the autopilot to fly in the direction suggested by ATC. I was taught that ultimately the choice of where to deploy the parachute is up to me because I am now the PIC, pilot in command.
- Ensure that seat belts are secure and the emergency hammer is between your legs (so you have it to break a window to escape if needed).
- Pull the parachute handle.
- On the way down, shut down the engine and brace for impact.
- After landing, move away from the plane, into the wind. Stay nearby and wait for help.
The seminar covered specific procedures to accomplish these basic steps, what to do if you don’t get a response from ATC, what to say in a Mayday transmission, how to fly a heading, how to check fuel levels, shut down the engine, etc. After the seminar, I felt much more comfortable about what to do if my pilot suddenly lost consciousness.

I was also told to practice what I had learned to avoid panicking in an emergency situation. There are so many things the person in the right seat can do under normal circumstances to practice. Learn how to set heading bugs, learn where the plane’s Electronic Locator Transmitter (ELT) is located and how to activate it. This will help rescuers locate the airplane. Learn how to assess your fuel levels. Practice making routine radio transmissions. Observe what your pilot does and ask questions if you don’t understand something.

Knowing what to do in an emergency situation will give you a sense of control over what will happen to you, your pilot, and any passengers on board your plane. If you have never considered taking a lesson or two for the non-pilot, find yourself an instructor, and learn what you need to know for your plane. Hopefully you will never have to use it, but if you do, you will be ready to be the PIC who lands the plane.

Anne and her husband Stephen are the proud owners of a Cirrus SR20. They plan to put the airplane to better use once Stephen retires. Anne has a background in desktop publishing and writing.
Setting Standards
ByCharlie Precourt May 14, 2019May 14, 2019

Type Clubs Lead By Example with Standard Operating Practices

This article appeared in the May 2019 edition of EAA’s Sport Aviation Magazine. It is used with permission. For other articles by Charlie Precourt, please visit EAA.org and join for a full subscription.

Imagine a year when there are no fatal accidents in general aviation. Does that seem impossible? The airlines achieved that many years ago, and so can we if we focus on the right things in our safety pro- grams. In fact, the overall trend in GA accident rates over the last few years is very encouraging. AOPA’s Air Safety Institute published its annual GA Accident Scorecard recently (see www.EAA.org/ extras), revealing fatal accidents from 2008 to 2017 are down more than 30 percent. Nevertheless, there were 185 fatal accidents in 2017, so we still have a long way to go. But, there are many developments in safety programs across GA that can keep the trend going.

One such development that I’ve advocated through a couple of type clubs is establishing standard operating practices (SOP). When I flew for both the U.S. Air Force and NASA, we had what we called standard operating procedures. They were the law for our flying. That is, we had to follow them procedurally because the folks that paid our salaries said so. The objective was to ensure we all used the same playbook, minimizing the risk that one of us might develop a bad in-flight habit that increased risk to the organization.

One way to think about SOPs is to recognize the difference between procedure and technique. For example, you have to follow the manufacturer’s pilot’s operating handbook (procedure)where it says to lower the landing gear before landing. If you don’t, you are in for a bad day. However, it does not tell you exactly when to lower the gear; that’s left to technique.

In the middle, between procedure and technique, is a best practice. In this example, lowering the gear just before the final approach fix is a “standard practice.” It is the generally accepted “best” place to lower the gear. In GA, however, aircraft owners don’t generally answer to a boss, so I prefer the term practices instead of procedures.

However, whether or not someone is paying us to fly, following best practices just makes sense. If you have a good set of practices, they enable you to do things the same way every time, leaving lots of brain cells to manage the unusual, the things that might go wrong. The safest approach to accomplishing a flight task is one that leverages consistency. On the other hand, if you are inconsistent, doing flight tasks differently each time, you’ll always be struggling to keep up. So, in my involvement with the safety committees for both the Malibu Mirage Owners and Pilots Association and the Citation Jet Pilots Association, there has been broad acceptance of recently developed standard operating practices.
The good news in this development is that a culture of safety is growing broadly across most sectors of GA through these type club initiatives. Perhaps more importantly, there is much to learn from each other about the effectiveness of these various initiatives. EAA has seen a four-year drop of 47 percent in fatal accidents among homebuilts! So, there must be something right going on there — a major focus on appropriate transition training before flying a new homebuilt (as a standard operating practice) is paying off.

So, what is covered in the SOPs these type clubs have developed? The following outlines the kinds of standard practices other type clubs have set up and represent SOPs you could establish for yourself regardless of the type of aircraft you fly. You just have to fill in the blanks for your particular type and commit to sticking to them in your flying. These are notional and are practices (not mandatory procedures). They don’t tell you how to fly your aircraft; they give you things to think about when you do. If you take a bit of time to set your own SOPs and then stick with them, you’ll be a far safer pilot. Here are some ideas:

Duty Day

Set the maximum number of hours of flight time during a calendar day and rest hours off between flying days. One example is a maximum of eight hours in the air and a minimum of 10 hours off until flying again.

Cargo

Establish best practices for what you will carry as cargo. One example is no lithium batteries in the baggage compartment.

Flight Planning and Preparation

What are your limitations for the types of flight you’ll take on? Consider SOPs such as designating a suitable alternate airport for all flights. Another might be for first flights after significant maintenance, such as no flight at night or in IMC until a day-VMC functional check flight has been done.

Runway Field Length Guidelines

Establish an appropriate minimum field length for your aircraft and commit to not going into shorter fields. Consider sea level operations and high-altitude airports as well.

Surface Operations

What should be your maximum wind conditions for taxi, takeoff, or landing? Maximum acceptable crosswinds on landing? Set them in your SOP and stick to them.

En Route

Consider establishing practices like no non-operationally necessary conversation below 10,000 feet MSL, during any segment of an approach procedure, or during the last 1,000 feet before leveloff during climb or descent. Also consider declaring “minimum fuel” when the fuel state becomes less than fuel to destination plus 45 minutes at current burn, even if flying day VFR.

Approach and Landing

Consider establishing personal minimums in your SOPs for things like visual approaches. Perhaps use a 1,500-foot ceiling and 3 miles’ visibility for day and 5 miles for night, even though these exceed the FAA’s requirements.

Pilot Limitations, Training, & Currency

FAR Part 91 rules allow us to fly with pretty marginal levels of currency. Consider setting your own SOP to something more appropriate for the kind of aircraft you fly and the kind of flying you do in it. For example, consider these ideas as SOPs:
- If you have less than 100 hours of time-in-type or have not flown at least 15 hours as pilot in command in the last 90 days, use a minimum planned fuel reserve of one hour.
- Also, if flying IFR in this situation, use a minimum visibility for takeoff of 1 mile.
- On instrument approaches, increase the published minimums by one- half mile visibility and add 200 feet to the decision altitude or minimum descent altitude.
- Perform landings at a weight that allows a full stop in 60 percent of available runway length.
- Consider an SOP that establishes you will fly with a CFI on a refresher flight before flying as pilot in command if you have not logged at least an hour of flight time and one takeoff and landing in an aircraft of the same type within the preceding 45 days.
Maneuver Standards

Wherever there are “techniques” associated with things like takeoffs and climbs, cruise, use of autopilot, power settings, and approaches and landings, you can write down your preferred technique as your own SOP. Describe each maneuver in enough detail (speeds, altitudes, power settings, configurations, etc.) to define a routine you will use each time. This ensures you fly consistently each flight and leverage the power of the standard operating practice, that is, to give you the bandwidth you need should you encounter an unexpected event or an emergency.

SOPs are among the exciting concepts underway to make safety programs work for us. Hats off to type clubs like MMOPA and CJP and many others that are taking the initiative. But even if you’re not in this kind of group, you can still set up your own SOPs. Let’s all look forward to our first year in GA without a fatal accident — and let’s make it soon!
Fly safe!

Charlie Precourt is a former NASA chief astronaut, space shuttle commander, and Air Force test pilot. He built a VariEze, owns a Piper JetPROP, and is a member of the EAA board of directors.
Hold Anywhere
ByHank Gibson December 21, 2016September 24, 2018

The latest Garmin software version on the Garmin G1000 and Cirrus Perspective by Garmin has a really neat feature. It gives the pilot the ability to create a hold at any fix, VOR, NDB, or even airport. If the point is in the GPS database, a hold can be created over it.

How does it work? Here are the steps.

Let’s say ATC tells you to hold over an intersection on a Victor Airway that you are already on. Since you are tracking the airway already, the airway should be in your flight plan complete with all the waypoints on it.

Bring up your flight plan and highlight the waypoint to hold at. Press the menu key. Using the big knob, scroll down to highlight the hold at waypoint option at the bottom of the bottom of the menu. Press enter.

Now you can build the hold. You select what the inbound or outbound course will be. Select a timed hold or a distance hold. Then select left or right hand turns. You can even input your expect further clearance time. Press enter and now you have a hold as a waypoint in your flight plan. Assuming you have a WAAS unit, the autopilot will fly the hold for you.

If you are ever told to “Hold Present Position,” Garmin has you covered. Simply press menu on the flight plan page, scroll down to Hold Present Position, then follow the prompts on the screen to build a hold at your present position.
Reading Weather Prog Charts
ByHank Gibson January 27, 2015July 14, 2026

There are a multitude of weather products out there today to assist pilots in preparing for a flight. Aviationweather.gov is the best source for getting all the information a pilot needs for planning a flight. Aviationweather.gov is the National Weather Service’s source for all aviation related weather products. When I teach about weather and weather briefings, I recommend to my students to utilize Aviationweather.gov in the planning stages, but still call the Flight Service Station to get a full fledged weather briefing before takeoff.

When preflight weather planning, one of the best ways to get a picture of what is happening over a broad area is utilizing the Low Level Significant Weather Prog charts. The Prog chart gives a forecasted 12 and 24 hour picture of what type of weather to expect over the US. The Prog chart gives the expected flight rules, areas of turbulence, and where the freezing level is located. If you’re looking at the 4 panel view, the Surface Prog chart shows fronts, pressure areas, and areas of expected precipitation. That covers just about everything, doesn’t it?

I believe the Prog charts are underutilized in planning. Foreflight and Garmin Pilot have given easy access to radar pictures, satellite pictures, METARs, TAFs, and several other sources of weather information. But, a lot of the easy access data you can get from those apps is current data (with the exception of the TAF) while a lot of the forecast data takes some hunting around. So, products like Prog charts aren’t often utilized.

The other problem arises when pilots know about Prog charts, but don’t know how to read them, then don’t know how to find the legend to decipher the chart, the chart is often set aside and quickly forgotten about just because of a lack of knowledge. Have no fear, though, as now we will use an example 4 panel Prog chart to decipher the lines and colorations.

Just looking at the Low Level Significant Weather Prog Chart above, it can be a little confusing. That’s why they make a legend!

Coupling the legend with the chart above, we can determine some things. First, California, parts of the Pacific Northwest, a small part of southern Arizona, and a good portion of the Midwest and East coast are going to have marginal VFR conditions in the next 12 hours. Wisconsin, Illinois, a good portion of the Northeast, and a small portion of the Pacific Northwest will suffer IFR from IFR conditions. There are going to be a good amount of low level turbulence in the northern and eastern parts of the country. Finally, the freezing level starts at the surface running in a jagged line across the midwest states and curling up into the Northeast.

That’s a good bit of information, isn’t it? If a pilot is planning a VFR flight into the Northeast tonight, it would probably be best to wait for another day, according to this chart.

Now, to see what is causing the conditions above, we need to look at the Surface Prog Chart.

The green circular areas above show that some form of precipitation is in that area. The circular dots with the triangle located in Mexico and Baja California are depicting moderate rain showers. If the triangle was gone, it would just be moderate rain. In the northeast, all those symbols are showing moderate to heavy snow showers. Across the plains, we see a lot of high pressure, meaning visibility and nice flying weather.

These charts are invaluable when it comes to flight planning, especially over long distances when the weather could be changing a lot over the period of your flight. Put them to use the next time you are planning a trip and you’ll learn you have a much better picture of what the weather is doing.
Cirrus SR20 Partnership Forming at KHYI
ByHank Gibson May 24, 2015May 24, 2015

Ever wanted to be a Cirrus owner, but the economics of being a single owner just don’t make sense for you? If you’re in the San Marcos/New Braunfels/Austin area, you now have a chance to join a Cirrus SR20 partnership at the San Marcos Municipal airport, KHYI.

The Cirrus SR20 partnership group is looking for 2-4 more members to buy in to a 2006 or 2007 Cirrus SR20 GTS. The plane will be kept at KHYI and the group already has a hangar for it.

For more information, please contact Texas Top Aviation at info@txtopaviation.com.