Passenger Safety Briefings
Of all the aviation magazines I subscribe to, I appreciate yours the most. “Experience is one of the cheapest things you can buy if you’re fortunate enough to get it second-hand.” Or, “You don’t live long enough to make all the mistakes yourself, so you need to learn from the mistakes of others.”
In regards to the “Passenger Safety Briefings” article in the December 2024 issue, I have developed my own passenger briefing for my Cessna 172G flown under VFR conditions. I use my briefing without fail, so that if I ever get asked on the stand, “Did you provide a briefing to your passengers?” I can reply, “Yes, I always provide a briefing.” Some of my bullets are based on experience, such as when I once landed a Cessna 150 and realized I had no ground steering because my passenger’s work boots were under the rudder pedals.
Keep up the good work!
—David Hollabaugh, Fulton, Mo.
Thanks for the kind words, David. We’ve republished your passenger briefing checklist at the upper right.
All of us should have a similar checklist, written down somewhere, maybe on our EFB, so we don’t forget anything. Done right, it should make our passengers feel more secure.
Thanks again!
Alternate Fuel Planning
Thanks for Ryan Motte’s “Running On Empty” in November’s issue. While I’ve never eaten into my last hour’s reserve, it’s easy to see how it can happen, thanks to forces both within and beyond our control. I was struck by Ryan’s and Jeb’s reminders about using cruise consumption figures when computing the fuel necessary to comply with IFR alternate flight plan requirements. It was something I was aware of but hadn’t actually thought about in detail. I will in the future.
Thanks!
—Mike Rutland, Via email
Thanks, Mike. It’s one of those little nuance thingies in the regs that can trip us up if we’re not careful. While the rules are clear, they don’t really tell the full story.
We have two basic rules of thumb when it comes to IFR alternates. One is that the destination cannot be more than half of our full-fuel endurance away. That leaves us with plenty of go juice if we have to find an alternate, which can include flying at least most of the way back to the departure airport if we have to.
The other rule of thumb is easier: If the engine’s running, we’re already running out of fuel.
Ground Operations And ATC
Matt Johnson’s article in the October issue, “Communication Breakdowns,” was as entertaining as ever. But it highlighted two very real and ongoing problems.
One is the uselessness the Notam system. The volume of Notams devoted to inoperative lights on towers no higher than 400 feet far outweighs their value to the average pilot.
The other is that many pilots simply don’t write down things often enough, like taxi clearances. A lot of the issues Matt describes could easily be solved if ATC would speak slowly and clearly. Not everyone has a pencil in their hand at the right moment.
—Keith St. James, Via email
