FLYING Magazine News Training and Proficiency

How to Handle Winter Flying

A change of season doesn't mean you're grounded.

Wednesday, January 01, 2025 at 09:00 AM ET

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Given an adequate ceiling, visibility, and some instructor creativity, it is possible to continue flight training in the winter months. [Adobe Stock]

Key Takeaways:

Winter flight training requires meticulous pre-flight preparation, including engine preheating, battery tenders, understanding cold-weather start procedures, and ensuring cabin heat and carbon monoxide detectors are operational.
Proper aircraft defrosting and handling are essential, involving specific techniques to remove ice and snow without damage, preventing refreezing, and being aware of phenomena like sublimation.
Pilots must be highly aware of personal risks like hypothermia and carbon monoxide poisoning, understand improved aircraft performance in cold air, and conduct extensive weather briefings extending beyond the immediate local area to anticipate rapidly changing conditions and plan contingencies.

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Living in a latitude farther from the equator may mean more seasonal weather, but it doesn’t mean that you’re grounded. Given an adequate ceiling, visibility, and some instructor creativity, it is possible to continue flight training in the winter months, as long as you are adept at reading and understanding a forecast, and able to recognize potentially hazardous situations.

This Article First Appeared in FLYING Magazine

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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.