Friday Focus on IFR

22 August 2014 1317 Zulu

Stay Ahead of the Airplane

“If the first rule of aviation is: “Fly the airplane,” arguably, a second rule might be: “Stay ahead of the airplane.” Simply stated, that means you can project where the airplane will be in space and time, and, therefore, you can complete well in advance the necessary cockpit tasks, communication and navigation setups, as well as all checklist items associated with the upcoming flight phases. Using printed or electronic checklists for each major segment of flight—run up, departure, climb, cruise, descent, landing, and shutdown—helps ensure you can stay ahead of the airplane.”