The return leg of a flight home presents unique dangers, including pilot fatigue, the psychological pressure of "Get Home-itis," and unfamiliarity with the departure environment.
These factors can impair a pilot's judgment, particularly regarding weather and go/no-go decisions, thereby increasing the risk of an incident.
To mitigate these risks, thorough pre-planning, allowing ample time for all tasks, practicing self-awareness to avoid rushing, and meticulously studying departure procedures and local terrain are crucial.
We’ve written extensively of late about the dangers inherent in the second leg of a long cross-country flight. Taking that concept one step further, another danger zone can be identified with the trip back home, even if that’s a few days down the road.
Many of the same factors enter into the risk equation:
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A commercial pilot, Isabel Goyer has been flying for more than 40 years, with hundreds of different aircraft in her logbook and thousands of hours. An award-winning aviation writer, photographer and editor, Ms. Goyer led teams at Sport Pilot, Air Progress and Flying before coming to Plane & Pilot in 2015.
