The Only Constant

Change can be good. It can also soak up your mental bandwidth and force you into reacting instead of planning.

Sunday, December 17, 2023 at 08:00 AM ET

Verified

A glance back down the conga line from the parallel taxiway before takeoff often can tell you a lot about how long your flight plan will last before ATC amends it. Take your time, write down the details and don't let the changed routes or procedures force you to cut corners.

Key Takeaways:

Instrument flying presents significant challenges due to frequent changes, dynamic environments, and high pilot workload, which can lead to distractions and deviations.
To mitigate these threats, pilots should prioritize "Aviate, Navigate, Communicate" and employ practical strategies like writing down new clearances, consciously slowing down the operational pace, and establishing "gates" for critical flight phases.
During unexpected changes, it's crucial to meticulously re-verify interrupted checklists, thoroughly check aircraft configuration, and conservatively calculate fuel for potential holds or diversions.
Pilots must avoid rushing decisions and be prepared to communicate "unable" to Air Traffic Control if more time or a modified plan is needed to ensure a safe outcome.

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Instrument flying is a challenging combination of rigid rules and a flexible operating environment. When changes occur, threats present themselves. Staying ahead of the aircraft and managing the flightpath is critical to ensure a safe outcome and avoid potential deviations.

I try to find inspiration for safety topics in my day-to-day flying. While I try to squeeze as much general aviation flying in as I can, airline flying vastly outweighs my logbook entries as of late. So, when I find myself in a situation where I could imagine any pilot being tripped up, I attempt to turn on the ole mental tape recorder and see where the threats lie, and what went right and what went wrong while we worked through it. Such an event occurred to me recently. The names and locations have been changed to protect the innocent.