Used Ultralight Planes

By Wayne Arbon

When learning to fly, the hour after you land can be as beneficial as the hour in the air.

"Review" is just as valuable as "preview".

Let me explain. I have talked before on the benefits of planning before a flight - proper planning on the ground will make for a smooth, safe and enjoyable flight.

But if you walk away from the cockpit without reviewing what you have learned, what you did right and wrong - and if you don't write down your observations immediately while they are fresh in your mind - you are depriving yourself of a vital learning tool.

Always keep a flight diary.

The format is totally up to you but I try to divide my diary into three sections –  PROs, CONs and PERSONAL. I list them in that order for a reason, which I will explain later.

PROs: What you felt you did right, aspects of flying you have been working on, things that felt good. It can be as vague as “I thought I did well on my radio calls” or as specific as “I raised the flaps on climb-out before my instructor reminded me”. Many of us tend to focus on what we did wrong and it is vital we give ourselves a pat on the back for the many things we do right. Otherwise, we can become frustrated and it’s hard to enjoy our flying.

CONs: Every pilot – from the pre-solo student to the commercial international flyer – has aspects of flying in which we can improve. As hard as it is sometimes, we need to critique our flying so we can continually improve.

This self-critique helps us to progress on our own without continual reminder from our instructor. It is much better for us to be proactive – if we remember the correct power setting on the downwind leg rather than just waiting to be corrected by our instructor, 1) the instructor can concentrate on a new skill, and 2) our confidence increases in our flying.

But don’t beat yourself up about it. A simple “concentrate on downwind checks” is sufficient.

PERSONAL: These are your overall feelings about the entire flying experience that day, from pre-flight to post-flight briefing.

I normally use this section to reinforce my feelings about the joy of flying. Often, all I’ll write is “great view of the ocean from 3500” or something similar. Everything in this section MUST make you smile as you recall it. It must say, “This is why I fly”.

The reason I write in this order? Because I again read my diary before my next flight and it reinforces, reminds and rejuvenates - in that order.

The PROs “reinforce” the aspects in which I am already proficient, the CONs “remind” me of what I need to concentrate on improving and the “PERSONAL” “rejuvenates” my love of flying.

As well as being a valuable flight tool, your diary will also become a treasured memento in future years as for you and for future generations.

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