Flight Safety

Originally published in 2002

PILOT SAFETY FLYING STRATEGIES

• Plan your flight so that you don’t have to look up enroute and destination information or program a Global Positioning System (GPS) while airborne.
• Clean your windshield, make S-turns during a climb to improve forward visibility, and use a cruise climb airspeed for a better view over the nose.
• Enlist passengers’ help in scanning for traffic.
• Use aircraft lights to improve visibility to other pilots and use the landing light on approach, departure, and climbout.
• Use sunglasses that block ultraviolet rays and improve visibility through haze, but be aware that polarized sunglasses may block the glint of sunlight on other aircraft.
• Communicate with radar approach controllers when possible and announce your position starting 10 miles out at non-towered airports.
• Become a target by installing a transponder if your aircraft doesn’t have one, and squawk altitude (Mode C) when in flight.
• Scan for traffic, remembering that most accidents involve one aircraft overtaking another.

SOURCE: Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA)