Checklists
PREPARING FOR TAKEOFF IN THE NEW YEAR
BENJAMIN JUSTER
There is nothing quite like the joy I experienced as a private pilot . Sitting in the “ captain ’ s seat ” for a small , single engine plane is both thrilling and daunting . There are so many buttons , dials , gauges , fuzes , and switches that it will make an initiate ’ s head spin . And the breadth of information it takes to become a solid aviator includes aptitude with physics , engineering , avionics , navigation , meteorology , communication , regulation , and more .
The mind is flooded with all kinds of information before each flight , so much so , that it is easy to overlook simple procedures simply because the mind was occupied with some other aspect of the flight . This unfortunate reality has contributed to many instances of pilot error resulting in inflight emergencies or even in catastrophic crashes .
J A N U A R Y 2 0 2 5 • T I K K U N A M E R I C A R E S T O R E | 0 6