By GRANT BOYD
Whether we like it or not, sometimes we can’t fly all the times we would like to. Whether it be for weather, money, maintenance — or who knows what — sometimes you are grounded.
Just because you can’t take to the sky doesn’t mean you can’t “fly.”
Thankfully, “flying” while grounded is a lot easier today than it was in the past, due in a large part to the Internet.
From YouTube to General Aviation News, you can learn from other pilots and see what they have done. These are free lessons where you don’t even have to leave your couch!
My personal favorite way to “fly” while grounded is to watch YouTube videos. It is not hard to find quality aviation content.
There is a video for you if you want to learn more about weather or you want to see how to fly an F-16 (because that is definitely a skill that we are all going to use).
In reality, many of us are not going to fly anything cooler than a 172, so it is amazing to be able to see how other planes work and not have to worry about the Hobbs while still sharpening your piloting skills.
When you do get back in the air, videos are a great resource if you have not been flying for a while or are about to fly a new plane for the first time. It is nice to be able to search for a Piper Cherokee instructional video and get a “dry run” before you actually go out and fly one by yourself.
I typically watch these types of videos, regardless if I am current or not because I feel that I get twice the flying time for half the money.
Even from that short video, I knew at least the gist of the information so I understood (kind of) what the instructor was saying when he said to do something. I would have been lost, had it not been for the video, when the instructor said some of the “complicated” start-up procedures.
One of the best resources that not enough pilots utilize are the NTSB accident reports. My ground instructor was the one who harped the importance of these to me. I don’t know about you, but I would rather learn from others’ mistakes, especially on the fatal accidents.
The scenarios make more sense if you pretend you were the one flying and put yourself in their shoes. As the statistics say, a majority of mistakes are human error and are, therefore, preventable.
Please take the time to check out these reports, so hopefully you can prevent a lot of these “simple” mistakes that happen too frequently.
Another way to “fly” while on the ground is to increase your role in the aviation community.
Being a pilot isn’t all about flying a cool shiny bird down onto the runway and taking off again. It is also about taxiing your bird onto the ramp, stopping for lunch, and interacting with fellow aviators.
Once winter is over, check out fly-ins and pancake breakfasts at your local airport or ones nearby. You’ll find like-minded souls, make new friends, and spread your wings.
That interaction isn’t limited to the airport. Find groups on Facebook and other social media platforms and get to know each other.
Increasing the community is what is going to keep general aviation alive, as well as entice younger pilots — like me — to get involved.
While you may think that a manic ice storm or the plane just starting a 100-hour inspection and not being able to fly is unfortunate, that should not stop a true aviator from finding a way to “fly.”
Whether your ground flying is watching videos or reading articles, find a way to stay active and engaged. It will only help you once you actually get back into the air.
One of the best ways to enjoy flying experiences and to learn while doing it is to fly with others!
And a wonderful way to do that is to act as a “right seat pilot helper” when a pilot is flying to help others, as a volunteer pilot with one or more of the more than 70 groups listed by the Air Care Alliance! These are groups like Patient Airlift Services, Angel Flight groups (about a dozen different ones around the country), LightHawk, Veterans Airlift Command, Pilots n Paws, Young Eagles, Civil Air Patrol, and many more incredible groups.
Each group has its own policies and requirements appropriate for the kinds of flights their volunteers perform – such as patient transport, environmental support, animal relocation, search and rescue, movement of organs or medical supplies, disaster relief, youth introductory flights, and many more.
Some groups actively accept nonflying volunteers, others don’t do that but their pilot volunteers often individually welcome an experienced “right seat” helper to support navigation, watch out for traffic, interact with patients or others being transported, take photos and log locations, etc. etc.
One can contact groups operating in one’s geographic area to learn about their operations. IF they don’t have a system in place for connecting their volunteer pilots with flight helpers then one can find out when there is a pilot meeting and attend it, and get to know the pilots directly.
This is a great way to keep flying when one can’t act as pilot in command, and to contribute one’s skills for worthy causes and learn more by flying with a variety of experienced pilots flying a variety of different aircraft.
Go for it!
The complete list of groups is available on the Air Care Alliance website. You can choose the top left “Request a Flight or Info” button on the home page to fill out an automated form to connect with groups in your area and choose the option to find a group to volunteer with, or use the second button down to access the complete Directory of Groups to browse information about all groups in the country.
I hope this suggestions leads to your ability to “keep on flying” even when circumstances seem to say you can’t!
PS – and you don’t have to pay for gas or other costs while enjoying the flights. And your help becomes a great Christmas, Holiday, or Every Day gift to those you are helping by volunteering!
Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas, and a Joyful New Year from
Rol Murrow, President, and the Directors of
the Air Care Alliance, http://www.aircareallince.org
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