Forgetful Flying

If I’m forgetting some basic, unrelated tasks before I fly, how can I be sure I’m not forgetting something else?

Aviation Safety

Wednesday, November 06, 2024 at 06:00 AM ET

Verified

Edited By: Omar Filipovic

Key Takeaways:

A pilot recounts a significant lapse in situational awareness where he took off, forgetting his cellphone and leaving his car unsecured on the ramp with its door open and keys inside.
This oversight, attributed to distractions or fatigue, highlighted his failure to "inspect himself" and his surroundings before flight, despite a proper aircraft pre-flight.
The incident reinforced the critical importance of consistently using checklists and the necessity of pausing to think and observe one's environment before commencing flight operations.

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Long ago and far away, I regularly visited my parents’ hometown in my Cessna 210. The airport closest to them is a non-towered facility with plenty of approaches. Due to some long-term family business, I parked an old car there so I had wheels when I was in town, and the parents didn’t have to come get me every time I visited. Over a couple of years, I got to know the folks at the local FBO fairly well.

At the end of one visit to the parents, I got into a conversation with the line person and a mechanic as I loaded the airplane. It was one of those bonding moments, and I was grateful to get to know someone else in that town. I was in no hurry, so we might have chatted for 30 minutes or so. Soon, the conversation broke up, so I hopped in the 210 and launched VFR for home, a couple of hours away.