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Everyone remembers their first solo flight. Mine was memorable for two reasons. First, the Cessna 150 I was flying had a habit of allowing its right-side window to pop open, seemingly at will. Of course, the airplane “willed” the window open shortly after I became airborne on my third touch and go.

Last September 29, over Brazils Amazon jungle, Gol Transportes Areos Flight 1907, a Boeing 737-800, and an Embraer Legacy 600 business jet collided at Flight Level 370. The Boeing tragically crashed shortly thereafter, killing all 154 aboard in the countrys worst-ever aviation accident.

Flying a personal aircraft is different things to different people. To some, its fun, relaxing recreation. To others, its an efficient, private transportation mode. It can be just a job, or a career or a reason for living. Thats when things are going well.

How are your ILS approaches going? As the saying goes, it takes practice to make perfect, or even to keep current. The reward is the nice feeling and confidence boost received once you lock onto an actual-weather ILS approach, especially one you know from the beginning is going to turn out to be precise.

Theres little else quite as ingrained in the minds of pilots, or emblematic of flight itself, as the stick and rudder. It seems axiomatic that losing the ability to control an airplanes roll, pitch or yaw would set you up for a quick toboggan ride downhill, followed by a very loud noise.

When the chips are down, you only get one shot at handling an in-flight emergency.

Making the go/no-go decision can demand more experience than the low-time pilot has. Decide when to call it a day or to take a look, but with a solid alternative.

Constantly evaluating our progress means more than glancing at the moving map. We also need to expect the unexpected and be prepared to change our plans.

NASAs safety reporting program offers more than potential amnesty from an enforcement action. Instead, it helps operators and the FAA understand mistakes and learn from them.

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