Ask FLYING

How Do Single Pilots Manage Fatigue?

Strategies and self-awareness can help combat tiredness and ensure flight safety.

Meg Godlewski

Wednesday, October 08, 2025 at 09:00 AM ET

Verified

Edited By:

Travis Tingle

For the private pilot candidate, the first solo roughly marks the halfway point of their training. [Shutterstock]

Key Takeaways:

Question: How do you deal with fatigue while flying as a single pilot?

Answer: One of the first things a pilot learns during training is not to fly tired. Fatigue is the “F” in the IMSAFE checklist that pilots use to self-certify before each flight.

Meg Godlewski

Meg Godlewski has been an aviation journalist for more than 24 years and a CFI for more than 20 years. If she is not flying or teaching aviation, she is writing about it. Meg is a founding member of the Pilot Proficiency Center at EAA AirVenture and excels at the application of simulation technology to flatten the learning curve. Follow Meg on Twitter @2Lewski.