About the IMSAFE checklist - I've always found 'External Pressures' to be far more insightful than 'Emotions'. External pressures to fly can be: trying to impress a friend, needing to attend a business meeting, or someone waiting for you at the destination. These pressures easily push us pilots to conduct a flight that is unsafe. If we address those external pressures beforehand (such as organising alternative transport, or flying a day earlier to give extra time for any commitments) we can make the decision to divert, postpone or cancel a flight without feeling guilty.
I'd left this until today, Saturday morning so it could get the proper attention and I'm glad I did. Great content and a good run through of the different stages. Honestly it is really refreshing to see that someone as experienced as yourself still does all the pre-preflight steps. I only got my ppl a few months back but am still at probably 4to1 on planning to flight hours. I do like to visualise some of the different stages of flight to help be prepared. Steps like joining other airflieds, or chair practicing the emergency drills. I do like the idea of re-reading one of the drills each time before a flight and going to include that into my morning routine before heading to the airport.
Super Useful thanks - Sometimes the planning can be quite entertaining in itself, having completely covered will always improve enjoyment of the flight too. No stress in the air. No beating a trusty old map.
When I did my flight training 20 odd years ago, the E in the IMSAFE acronym, stood for eating. While several countries instead replace that with emotion, surely that is already covered under S, stress. Ensuring proper nutrition prior to and if necessary during longer flights is very important.
Great to see a checklist like this being created/shared. When doing my ME/IR I started using ForeFlight and created my own 'planning/preparation' checklist using its built-in functionality. This is really handy as I can physically check (tick!) things off the list before I leave the house, and skip anything not relevant for a particular flight. I even went as far as creating a separate checklist specifically for my IR test so I'd have everything prepared and ready for the examiner. I'll definitely take a look at your checklist and see what I might have missed from mine 🙂
Excellent content again, Jon. And thank you for the checklist, which I've also downloaded. Until now I had bits of info on different sheets, so it's nice to have one definitive list, which I'll now use 👌👏
Hi Great video , As a pilot and a sailer im always looking at the weather ,, even when not flying or sailing it becomes a compulsion , Keep the videos coming ,love them ! Rob NSW Australia ex Herne Bay Kent 1982
Really helpful content for a low hours pilot like me. Great presentational style and you've encouraged me to join The Flying Reporter Supporters' Club!
Thank you Jon for another very instructive and informative tutorial proves what I was taught years ago that irrespective of how many hours you have and how many times you've flown to an airport, treat it as if you would your first. Best wishes for 2022 - Happy Flying
Excellent video and thank you for the checklist. Really very much appreciated and things like this video going back to the basics are exactly what needs to be promoted more regularly. Leading the way as always Jon and it's so good to see.
Nice video (pair) Jon. I too get the odd 'tube' problem, no matter how gentle the descent. Sometimes still getting the popping while having the regulation cuppa on the ground. Best solution for me in the descent has been to try and force a yawn (no comments about my flying, please) which has the added benefit of moving the jaw slightly. That seems to bring on the pops sufficiently to improve the comfort.
@@TheFlyingReporter this will sound exceptionally odd, but one can buy little balloons with a piece to put on your nostril. I have been told by Doctors to use them for general issues in the area before, but I’m sure they’d help pressure related popping.
Well this has put me right off doing my LAPL thanks. I mean as if it's not hard enough with the lack of support and challenges the CAA like to give to everyone and the stringent medicals and the ridiculous amount to spend on all the other bits. Surely Would of been quicker to drive. But thanks for the video found it really interesting
Hi Duncan. Typical for you to notice that! It's our fruit bowl. I go in waves of eating apples - the only fruit I really like. And James, husband is currently eating satsumas.
Hi Jon, great video again, thanks for sharing. It looks like you have made and are using an excel plog - I am in the process of drawing one up as I can't seem to find a pre printed one that ticks all the boxes - I was wondering if you would be open to sharing yours so I can see how you have laid it out? Mark
Nice video as always. I'm curious about a couple of things: do you ever print our your Skydemon plog or do you always transcribe the data into a written plog as we saw in the piece? After years of calculating and writing out plogs I do the former nowadays (lazy me?) but perhaps writing it out longhand keeps it more 'grounded' for you (as it were)? Also, in the IMSAFE mnemonic I've always thought E was for eating and not emotion - which is sort of covered already under Stress. It's really important to make sure the body has fuel as well as the plane. Anyway - a great introduction to flight planning, and v interesting to watch how others do it - and of course to learn from it.
Thanks Stephen. I haven't gone as far as printing the skydemon plog yet. I do like to be able to refine my plan..I also have other info on my plog, a space for ATIS, readback notes, fuel management etc. Yes, I think eat maybe a more useful E!
Another great video as always. You mentioned always taking a paper plog and marking your chart. Have you ever actually practiced a simulated failure of your software and then navigating just using your chart and plog? It's quite difficult to go from skydemon to the paper back up and accurately work out where you are and then continue (not including using vors)
Hi, thanks. Good idea...never done it. I usually back up with the certified GPS on board, so doubt it would be much of an issue - especially with the plog.
@@TheFlyingReporter it might make for an interesting video just as an exercise to revert just to the plog and paper chart and see if you can find your way just for fun.
Interesting vid. Any chance you could add in some more links specifically that you use for weather, notams, sigmets... Currently doing PPL and I'm confused half the time where to go :0) Met Office Briefing is good, then Windy app for pre planning, then SD for back up of my paper chart and to also look at NOTAMs (yes back up as I won't use that properly until passed then paper will be back up)... Any newbie advice / links appreciated. Still in the overwhelmed stage of planning :-)
Hi Jon. Great content and good refresher and reminder of how important pre flight planning is. Will download checklist with thanks! Oh, and please don't show M25 traffic on your vids, I watch them to get away from looking at traffic! 🤣🤣 Stu
Hi Jon, excellent video as ever. Ignoring the time added by filming and prep, can you tell us roughly how much time your planning and preparation process took?
At home, I'm probably spending somewhere in the region of 2 hours on a typical "normal' flight. It's difficult to give you an accurate figure, as I dip in and out. Plot a route a couple of days before. Check the weather. Come back to it....fiddle with the route, look at notams, weather. Flight day, weather, look at notams, restrictions, do my performance calculations (the arrow is quite heavy, and Redhill's hard runway is very short 498m, and it's a new aeroplane to me, so I do a thorough performance review for every take off and landing). Sometimes the weather needs more research than other days. It's also difficult to extract the time I spend doing the cameras/prep etc. That is at least an hours work before flight...batteries to be charged, cards to be wiped, lenses to be cleaned etc.
Looking at Open AIP, I wonder why you don't fly north out of the circuit to the M23/M25 intersection and then follow the M25 to the east? And when you are abeam Sevenoaks, you could start heading north, towards Northfleet, Brentwood, Chelmsford and finally EGSR. This would be my initial idea, at least with my flexwing.
Hi. Redhill is full ATC, so you have to follow their instructions. My clearance was to leave the circuit via the Godstone VRP...I have no choice but to take this route. This is because traffic is tactically managed by Redhill ATC to avoid conflict between arriving and departing aircraft, which is difficult to manage because of the constraints of the Gatwick CTR/CTA which limits the airspace Redhill has available to use. When runways 25/26 are in use, Redhill will take outbound traffic to the east via Godstone VRP, and to the north via Buckland VRP. Inbound traffic from the north comes in via the M23/M25 Junction VRP. Inbound traffic from the east comes in via Godstone Station VRP. So why wouldn't I route north from Godstone, track around the M25? I don't like the height of the terrain around godstone, which makes it quite tricky to maintain the rules of the air...not impossible, but tricky. Plus, I wouldn't particularly want to route that close to Biggin Hill's extended centreline. Yes, you can do it, it's class G, or you could talk to them. But to avoid potential conflict with their outbound traffic, I prefer to route well south. The penalty, a 2 minute delay at most. Another option would be to route Godstone, Biggin Hill, Swanley. This in theory is the faster of all three routes, saving 3 minutes on my long route around. However, calling up Biggin Hill just 2 minutes before arriving at their ATZ is a little unfair on them, may lead to me having to take up an orbit, near residential areas, which increases my workload too. So that's why I go the way I do.
I suppose it makes sense. My home base is under the EDDM (Munich) class C airspace, and we try to stay away from the lower maximum allowed altitudes. I was not aware (or overlooked) that you were starting from a controlled aerodrome. EDMY, my homebase, is an uncontrolled airfield. By just looking at the map online, and not "knowing" your local situation, I would have tried to head north first to gain some headroom. Also, I wasn't thinking so much about your ETE as much as the ability to climb higher. I always prefer to have plenty of air under me, especially after having had an engine out emergency landing. The online map I looked at, didn't show the terrain height. I assumed that the area in this part of the UK was more or less flat. Like the bit of England - Essex & East Anglia - where my UK relatives live.
About the IMSAFE checklist - I've always found 'External Pressures' to be far more insightful than 'Emotions'. External pressures to fly can be: trying to impress a friend, needing to attend a business meeting, or someone waiting for you at the destination. These pressures easily push us pilots to conduct a flight that is unsafe. If we address those external pressures beforehand (such as organising alternative transport, or flying a day earlier to give extra time for any commitments) we can make the decision to divert, postpone or cancel a flight without feeling guilty.
Good suggestion callum. External pressure is a very real danger, so yes, by all means adjust your own IMSAFE checklist to include that!
The FAA view is that it's "external pressures" because it's attempting to counter the get-there-itis which has caused so many tragic accidents.
Really interesting video. Thanks.
I'd left this until today, Saturday morning so it could get the proper attention and I'm glad I did. Great content and a good run through of the different stages. Honestly it is really refreshing to see that someone as experienced as yourself still does all the pre-preflight steps. I only got my ppl a few months back but am still at probably 4to1 on planning to flight hours.
I do like to visualise some of the different stages of flight to help be prepared. Steps like joining other airflieds, or chair practicing the emergency drills. I do like the idea of re-reading one of the drills each time before a flight and going to include that into my morning routine before heading to the airport.
Pleased that you enjoyed the video. Thanks for watching.
Super Useful thanks - Sometimes the planning can be quite entertaining in itself, having completely covered will always improve enjoyment of the flight too. No stress in the air.
No beating a trusty old map.
When I did my flight training 20 odd years ago, the E in the IMSAFE acronym, stood for eating. While several countries instead replace that with emotion, surely that is already covered under S, stress. Ensuring proper nutrition prior to and if necessary during longer flights is very important.
I did mine about the same time, also thought 'e' was for 'eat', and thought exactly the same regarding emotion/stress.
It's a very good point.. I think I prefer eating to be honest. So yes, that works really well too.
I too did “eat” about 10 years ago in Canada.
Hi Jon, excellent 👌 as always .
Great to see a checklist like this being created/shared. When doing my ME/IR I started using ForeFlight and created my own 'planning/preparation' checklist using its built-in functionality. This is really handy as I can physically check (tick!) things off the list before I leave the house, and skip anything not relevant for a particular flight. I even went as far as creating a separate checklist specifically for my IR test so I'd have everything prepared and ready for the examiner. I'll definitely take a look at your checklist and see what I might have missed from mine 🙂
Don't you just love checklists!
Excellent checklist, just downloaded it.
Great!
Excellent content again, Jon. And thank you for the checklist, which I've also downloaded. Until now I had bits of info on different sheets, so it's nice to have one definitive list, which I'll now use 👌👏
Hi Great video , As a pilot and a sailer im always looking at the weather ,, even when not flying or sailing it becomes a compulsion , Keep the videos coming ,love them !
Rob
NSW
Australia
ex Herne Bay Kent 1982
Really helpful content for a low hours pilot like me. Great presentational style and you've encouraged me to join The Flying Reporter Supporters' Club!
Thanks for joining up Paul.
Great video. I have been revising per flight procedures and airspace infringement avoidance and this was very useful.
Glad you enjoyed the videos Phil.
Thank you Jon for another very instructive and informative tutorial proves what I was taught years ago that irrespective of how many hours you have and how many times you've flown to an airport, treat it as if you would your first. Best wishes for 2022 - Happy Flying
Absolutely right Michael. Thank you. Happy new year to you.
Excellent video and thank you for the checklist. Really very much appreciated and things like this video going back to the basics are exactly what needs to be promoted more regularly. Leading the way as always Jon and it's so good to see.
Thanks Alex. That's lovely of you to say.
awesome content so well presented as always. your filming and editing is really spot on.
Ah, kind of you to say so, thanks.
Good video Jon and I like the checklist
Great video! I’ve always seen the E in IMSAFE for eating.
It feels like emotion would go under stress, although emotion is much broader.
So glad to hear you say "alternatives" instead of the increasingly common but incorrect "alternates". Greetings from a word-nerd in Australia.
word-nerd - haven't heard that one before. Like it!
Great video Jon. Happy New Year
Nice video (pair) Jon. I too get the odd 'tube' problem, no matter how gentle the descent. Sometimes still getting the popping while having the regulation cuppa on the ground. Best solution for me in the descent has been to try and force a yawn (no comments about my flying, please) which has the added benefit of moving the jaw slightly. That seems to bring on the pops sufficiently to improve the comfort.
Thanks Chris. I waggle, and blow and still nothing. It seems to have been better last couple of flights, so hoping it's better now.
@@TheFlyingReporter this will sound exceptionally odd, but one can buy little balloons with a piece to put on your nostril. I have been told by Doctors to use them for general issues in the area before, but I’m sure they’d help pressure related popping.
Well this has put me right off doing my LAPL thanks. I mean as if it's not hard enough with the lack of support and challenges the CAA like to give to everyone and the stringent medicals and the ridiculous amount to spend on all the other bits. Surely Would of been quicker to drive. But thanks for the video found it really interesting
Enjoyed that, some really good reminders. And nice to see a healthy intake of vegetables at home (or was that just for the camera?)
Hi Duncan. Typical for you to notice that! It's our fruit bowl. I go in waves of eating apples - the only fruit I really like. And James, husband is currently eating satsumas.
Hi Jon, great video again, thanks for sharing.
It looks like you have made and are using an excel plog - I am in the process of drawing one up as I can't seem to find a pre printed one that ticks all the boxes - I was wondering if you would be open to sharing yours so I can see how you have laid it out?
Mark
Hi. Here are copies of the current ones I use. www.jonhunt.net/hrf_faq/where-did-you-get-your-plog/
Nice video as always. I'm curious about a couple of things: do you ever print our your Skydemon plog or do you always transcribe the data into a written plog as we saw in the piece? After years of calculating and writing out plogs I do the former nowadays (lazy me?) but perhaps writing it out longhand keeps it more 'grounded' for you (as it were)? Also, in the IMSAFE mnemonic I've always thought E was for eating and not emotion - which is sort of covered already under Stress. It's really important to make sure the body has fuel as well as the plane. Anyway - a great introduction to flight planning, and v interesting to watch how others do it - and of course to learn from it.
Thanks Stephen. I haven't gone as far as printing the skydemon plog yet. I do like to be able to refine my plan..I also have other info on my plog, a space for ATIS, readback notes, fuel management etc. Yes, I think eat maybe a more useful E!
Another great video as always. You mentioned always taking a paper plog and marking your chart. Have you ever actually practiced a simulated failure of your software and then navigating just using your chart and plog? It's quite difficult to go from skydemon to the paper back up and accurately work out where you are and then continue (not including using vors)
Hi, thanks. Good idea...never done it. I usually back up with the certified GPS on board, so doubt it would be much of an issue - especially with the plog.
@@TheFlyingReporter it might make for an interesting video just as an exercise to revert just to the plog and paper chart and see if you can find your way just for fun.
Interesting vid. Any chance you could add in some more links specifically that you use for weather, notams, sigmets... Currently doing PPL and I'm confused half the time where to go :0) Met Office Briefing is good, then Windy app for pre planning, then SD for back up of my paper chart and to also look at NOTAMs (yes back up as I won't use that properly until passed then paper will be back up)... Any newbie advice / links appreciated. Still in the overwhelmed stage of planning :-)
There's a video for that. ua-cam.com/video/vAK92bPbW7Y/v-deo.html. Links are in the description.
@@TheFlyingReporter Oh perfect, that's tomorrows study!
Hello Jon. Glad to see you drive a Škoda car :)
Very reliable and comfortable.
Hi Jon. Great content and good refresher and reminder of how important pre flight planning is. Will download checklist with thanks! Oh, and please don't show M25 traffic on your vids, I watch them to get away from looking at traffic! 🤣🤣 Stu
Ah...but we whizz over the M25 without even paying a toll charge!!
@@TheFlyingReporter 🤣🤣👍👍
Hi Jon, excellent video as ever. Ignoring the time added by filming and prep, can you tell us roughly how much time your planning and preparation process took?
At home, I'm probably spending somewhere in the region of 2 hours on a typical "normal' flight. It's difficult to give you an accurate figure, as I dip in and out. Plot a route a couple of days before. Check the weather. Come back to it....fiddle with the route, look at notams, weather. Flight day, weather, look at notams, restrictions, do my performance calculations (the arrow is quite heavy, and Redhill's hard runway is very short 498m, and it's a new aeroplane to me, so I do a thorough performance review for every take off and landing). Sometimes the weather needs more research than other days. It's also difficult to extract the time I spend doing the cameras/prep etc. That is at least an hours work before flight...batteries to be charged, cards to be wiped, lenses to be cleaned etc.
Hello, I love you videos. What type of mount do you use for your ipad to put on the flight yoke?
Hi My FAQs have details..jonhunt.net
Looking at Open AIP, I wonder why you don't fly north out of the circuit to the M23/M25 intersection and then follow the M25 to the east? And when you are abeam Sevenoaks, you could start heading north, towards Northfleet, Brentwood, Chelmsford and finally EGSR.
This would be my initial idea, at least with my flexwing.
Hi. Redhill is full ATC, so you have to follow their instructions. My clearance was to leave the circuit via the Godstone VRP...I have no choice but to take this route. This is because traffic is tactically managed by Redhill ATC to avoid conflict between arriving and departing aircraft, which is difficult to manage because of the constraints of the Gatwick CTR/CTA which limits the airspace Redhill has available to use. When runways 25/26 are in use, Redhill will take outbound traffic to the east via Godstone VRP, and to the north via Buckland VRP. Inbound traffic from the north comes in via the M23/M25 Junction VRP. Inbound traffic from the east comes in via Godstone Station VRP. So why wouldn't I route north from Godstone, track around the M25? I don't like the height of the terrain around godstone, which makes it quite tricky to maintain the rules of the air...not impossible, but tricky. Plus, I wouldn't particularly want to route that close to Biggin Hill's extended centreline. Yes, you can do it, it's class G, or you could talk to them. But to avoid potential conflict with their outbound traffic, I prefer to route well south. The penalty, a 2 minute delay at most. Another option would be to route Godstone, Biggin Hill, Swanley. This in theory is the faster of all three routes, saving 3 minutes on my long route around. However, calling up Biggin Hill just 2 minutes before arriving at their ATZ is a little unfair on them, may lead to me having to take up an orbit, near residential areas, which increases my workload too. So that's why I go the way I do.
I suppose it makes sense.
My home base is under the EDDM (Munich) class C airspace, and we try to stay away from the lower maximum allowed altitudes. I was not aware (or overlooked) that you were starting from a controlled aerodrome. EDMY, my homebase, is an uncontrolled airfield. By just looking at the map online, and not "knowing" your local situation, I would have tried to head north first to gain some headroom.
Also, I wasn't thinking so much about your ETE as much as the ability to climb higher. I always prefer to have plenty of air under me, especially after having had an engine out emergency landing.
The online map I looked at, didn't show the terrain height. I assumed that the area in this part of the UK was more or less flat. Like the bit of England - Essex & East Anglia - where my UK relatives live.
Am I right in thinking E is for Eating?
It seems from the comments, other people think it is. I think E for eating might be better to be honest.