The winter holidays are right around the corner, and many will soon embark on journeys, both near and far. For many, this involves air travel. While most people dread the experience of being crammed into airline seats, pilots take a different route. Their journey to visit family—whether it’s aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, grandparents, siblings, or in-laws—often begins in the cockpit, flying their own family to the holidays. There’s no need to remove shoes, stress over parking, or stick to someone else’s schedule. Pilots enjoy more legroom, extra space for personal items, and, most importantly, a journey that starts and ends with their favorite pastime. Plus, it’s always fun to tell relatives they flew themselves in for the festivities.
If this sounds familiar and you’re already thinking about your holiday flying plans, it might not be time to preflight the aircraft just yet. However, it’s the perfect time to review your piloting skills and make sure you’re ready for the adventure ahead.
Last year, a student came to one of our schools a few weeks before Thanksgiving. He was preparing to fly his entire family several states away to their big gathering in his Bonanza. Over the course of a few half-day training sessions, he flew the entire route in one of our simulators multiple times—facing the worst weather we could simulate and handling various emergency scenarios. Each day, he left feeling more and more confident, having sharpened his skills and learned ones. Not every scenario was a success at first, but after a few days of focused practice, he was prepared to tackle any worst-case situation on his way to Colorado. His actual trip was, of course, far less eventful, but by planning for the worst and “going back to school” for a few days, he felt confident that his skills were ready for the long journey with his family.
Before you retract the landing gear and set your course for food, family, and fun, consider stopping by one of our offices for a brush-up lesson or two. It’s the perfect way to knock off the rust on those non-standard flying practices you haven’t used since your check ride. Why not turn it into a flight review, update your instrument currency, or even complete an IPC? After all, you’re going to log the flight time anyway, right?
Remember, a flight simulator or training device is a more educational, cost-effective, convenient, and safer option for practicing skills, procedures, and especially emergencies than using an actual airplane. Even some desktop or computer-based programs can allow you to “fly” your trip in advance, loading it with challenges to prepare you before the real flight.
The holidays already require plenty of preparation and planning, but adding an airplane to the mix—while enjoyable—adds a few extra steps to ensure everything goes smoothly. Just ask Santa! Before packing the cranberries and elastic waistband pants into your baggage compartment, consider spending some time with a flight school, local CFI, or a trusted senior pilot. It’ll be time well spent and will set the stage for a smooth and enjoyable start and finish to your holiday journey.