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I explained the story to my girlfriend, who politely asked if I have thought about this being a “sign.” I never thought of that until she put those dirty words in my head. So I ask you, am I doing something wrong here? Two close calls in a two-year period? No Name Please Greetings NNP: Here’s what you should have learned. First, don’t talk to your girlfriend about things that make you nervous in an airplane. You don’t need any more “signs.” Second, airports are airplane magnets. It’s where airplanes congregate. As a new pilot it’s natural to assume that other pilots will adhere to accepted and recommended procedure and behave like good traffic pattern citizens. Unfortunately, not everyone does. What you’ve learned is that pilots can and will do strange things near an airport. From now on, don’t expect that all pilots will behave the way you expect them to, because they might not. So don’t let your guard down. Expect pilots to do the unexpected. Once you get this idea in the folds of your three-pound melon, the errant behavior of other pilots may disappoint you but it shouldn’t scare you (too much, at least). Dear Rod: A couple of years ago I became a private pilot. Going over my notes in preparation for my practical, I found this from my dual cross country flights. “Instructor said, ‘Don’t fly night single-engine VFR cross country, it is not worth the risk.’” What do you think? Sincerely, Kate Greetings Kate: Your instructor is being overly cautious here. Granted, night flying is associated with an increase in risk. After all, it is dark at night, right? That doesn’t, however, mean those risks can’t be managed. Think about it this way. The risks of flying vary from day to day based on many variables (clouds, winds, route, airplane performance, et cetera). You handle these riskier flights by applying a more thorough and

appropriate risk management strategy to ensure your safety (if you can’t ensure your safety, you don’t fly). Just because night flying has more risks associated with it doesn’t necessarily mean you shouldn’t fly at night. It simply means that you enhance your risk management strategy to

compensate for those risks. So welcome to the dark side of aviation. Fly at night.
Rod Machado is a flight instructor, author, educator, and speaker. Machado has been a pilot since 1970 and a CFI since 1973. Visit his blog (www.rodmachado.com).

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Flight Training - July 2011

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Flight Training - July 2011