1 00:00:00,050 --> 00:00:04,189 So almost every day, I watch a pilot spend 10 minutes pre-flighting the 2 00:00:04,189 --> 00:00:08,520 airplane, another five minutes checking weather, sometimes even going over 3 00:00:08,689 --> 00:00:13,490 performance charts, and I wonder how they're making their go, no-go decision. 4 00:00:14,149 --> 00:00:16,729 If it's one of my students, I generally ask something like, "How's 5 00:00:16,730 --> 00:00:21,669 she looking?" But the decision on whether to go or not go needs to be a 6 00:00:21,669 --> 00:00:23,619 little more thoughtful than just that. 7 00:00:24,630 --> 00:00:26,649 That's what I'm always trying to teach. 8 00:00:27,739 --> 00:00:34,349 Every certificate, every rating, every hour in your logbook, all of the 9 00:00:34,349 --> 00:00:40,029 study around ADM, the responsibilities of being PIC, all of it exists so 10 00:00:40,030 --> 00:00:42,509 you can answer three questions. 11 00:00:42,929 --> 00:00:43,419 Three. 12 00:00:44,039 --> 00:00:47,910 And they're so simple, you could teach them to a five-year-old. 13 00:00:48,660 --> 00:00:52,889 Answering them honestly and effectively, that's the hard part. 14 00:00:53,559 --> 00:01:00,299 And that's episode 91 of the Student Pilot Cast, ADM in Three Simple Questions, 15 00:01:00,629 --> 00:01:03,969 or How to Not Become a Case Study. 16 00:01:31,404 --> 00:01:32,304 Hey, everybody. 17 00:01:32,304 --> 00:01:34,084 Welcome back to the Student Pilot Cast. 18 00:01:34,424 --> 00:01:40,644 I'm Bill, and this is the briefing room, where we take one tactical idea and put 19 00:01:40,644 --> 00:01:42,874 it in your flight bag in about 15 minutes. 20 00:01:43,774 --> 00:01:47,664 Today's idea might be one of the most important ones I ever talk about, because 21 00:01:47,664 --> 00:01:52,884 it's the framework I use and the framework I teach for the go, no-go decision. 22 00:01:53,644 --> 00:01:57,014 Of course, that's the decision you have to make before you take off. 23 00:01:57,284 --> 00:02:00,944 Once you're in the air, the same framework has to be used to constantly 24 00:02:00,944 --> 00:02:06,064 reevaluate the situation to help you make the continue or divert decision. 25 00:02:06,764 --> 00:02:11,164 It's what I call the three simple questions. 26 00:02:11,712 --> 00:02:14,142 One, can the airplane do it? 27 00:02:14,892 --> 00:02:16,912 Two, can I do it? 28 00:02:17,662 --> 00:02:20,062 And three, is it legal? 29 00:02:21,302 --> 00:02:21,802 That's it. 30 00:02:22,492 --> 00:02:23,482 That's the whole framework. 31 00:02:24,022 --> 00:02:25,762 You could fit it on a cocktail napkin. 32 00:02:26,332 --> 00:02:30,392 That's what ADM really comes down to, and here's the thing that took 33 00:02:30,392 --> 00:02:32,772 me way too many years to figure out. 34 00:02:33,462 --> 00:02:39,352 Every subject we grind through as pilots, aerodynamics, weather theory, human 35 00:02:39,352 --> 00:02:45,682 factors, aircraft systems, the FARs, weight and balance, all of it, none of 36 00:02:45,682 --> 00:02:47,912 that is trivia just for the checkride. 37 00:02:48,502 --> 00:02:53,602 Every one of those disciplines exists in our curriculums for exactly one 38 00:02:53,622 --> 00:02:58,282 reason, so that when you're standing on the ramp with the keys in your hand, 39 00:02:58,762 --> 00:03:04,442 you can answer those three questions accurately instead of just optimistically. 40 00:03:05,472 --> 00:03:08,632 So let's take them one at a time, and I'll tell you where each 41 00:03:08,632 --> 00:03:10,542 one tries to lie to you as well 42 00:03:11,410 --> 00:03:14,600 All right, question one: Can the airplane do it? 43 00:03:15,190 --> 00:03:20,250 I call this the hardware check, and notice I didn't ask, "Does the engine start?" A 44 00:03:20,250 --> 00:03:22,970 running engine is a very, very low bar. 45 00:03:23,270 --> 00:03:27,330 The question is whether the specific machine can fly the specific mission 46 00:03:27,330 --> 00:03:31,220 you've assigned it in the specific conditions you've got today. 47 00:03:32,180 --> 00:03:35,730 Three places to look, or lenses to look through, if you will, 48 00:03:36,100 --> 00:03:39,230 and this is straight off the PDF, which we'll talk about at the end. 49 00:03:39,740 --> 00:03:44,240 The three are performance, envelopes, and condition. 50 00:03:45,040 --> 00:03:46,570 So we'll take them one at a time here. 51 00:03:46,860 --> 00:03:47,660 Performance. 52 00:03:47,980 --> 00:03:50,430 Have you actually opened the POH today? 53 00:03:50,830 --> 00:03:54,990 It's probably fossilizing in the backseat pocket, but what you need 54 00:03:54,990 --> 00:03:56,840 here are the performance charts. 55 00:03:57,410 --> 00:03:59,950 Because here's the dirty little secret of that book. 56 00:03:59,960 --> 00:04:05,510 Every number in it was set by a factory test pilot flying a brand-new airplane. 57 00:04:05,960 --> 00:04:09,660 Your 50-year-old trainer with the original paint and slightly tired 58 00:04:09,660 --> 00:04:11,390 engine did not get that memo. 59 00:04:11,960 --> 00:04:14,930 Now, stack density altitude on top of that. 60 00:04:15,330 --> 00:04:16,910 It's summer here in Arizona. 61 00:04:17,020 --> 00:04:20,470 Every day, my airport thinks it's sitting several thousand feet 62 00:04:20,470 --> 00:04:22,130 higher than the chart says it is. 63 00:04:22,720 --> 00:04:24,270 The runway didn't get shorter. 64 00:04:24,590 --> 00:04:26,430 The airplane just got lazier. 65 00:04:27,360 --> 00:04:31,320 This is why we made you learn about density altitude, not for 66 00:04:31,320 --> 00:04:33,630 the written, for this moment. 67 00:04:34,140 --> 00:04:40,600 14 CFR 91.103 says, "Know your runway lengths and takeoff and landing distances 68 00:04:40,600 --> 00:04:45,523 before every flight." "The regulation literally begins with the words, 'Each 69 00:04:45,633 --> 00:04:52,173 pilot in command shall, before beginning a flight, become familiar with all available 70 00:04:52,213 --> 00:04:54,243 information concerning that flight.'" 71 00:04:54,703 --> 00:04:57,823 All available information. 72 00:04:58,333 --> 00:05:02,663 I know the FAA doesn't necessarily use italics there, but I promise 73 00:05:02,663 --> 00:05:04,863 you they meant it in italics. 74 00:05:05,853 --> 00:05:07,303 The next one, envelopes. 75 00:05:07,683 --> 00:05:10,563 Weight and balance, and not just at the chocks. 76 00:05:11,193 --> 00:05:14,103 Will you stay in the envelope as fuel burns? 77 00:05:14,193 --> 00:05:18,443 Your CG moves in flight, and it doesn't send a courtesy text when it leaves 78 00:05:18,443 --> 00:05:20,463 the envelope, so you have to know it. 79 00:05:20,983 --> 00:05:25,003 This is why we made you learn about stability and the whole aft 80 00:05:25,013 --> 00:05:27,303 CG conversation in aerodynamics. 81 00:05:27,683 --> 00:05:31,223 An airplane loaded differently isn't just heavier or lighter. 82 00:05:31,703 --> 00:05:33,563 It can feel like a different airplane. 83 00:05:34,903 --> 00:05:36,233 And then there's condition. 84 00:05:36,733 --> 00:05:40,543 Is it ready, or does it just look ready from 10 feet away? 85 00:05:40,963 --> 00:05:45,393 The pre-flight walk around is your first line of defense, and the airplane 86 00:05:45,393 --> 00:05:47,203 will talk to you if you'll listen. 87 00:05:47,878 --> 00:05:53,348 So if something feels mushy or looks weepy or smells funny, that's 88 00:05:53,368 --> 00:05:55,388 the machine filing a complaint. 89 00:05:55,808 --> 00:05:57,658 It's the machine trying to talk to you. 90 00:05:58,168 --> 00:06:00,718 And here's the part pilots sometimes skip. 91 00:06:01,128 --> 00:06:03,708 The airplane's paperwork is part of its condition. 92 00:06:04,238 --> 00:06:06,458 open the maintenance logs once in a while. 93 00:06:06,868 --> 00:06:10,698 Know when the annual was or whether there are open squawks, 94 00:06:11,008 --> 00:06:13,058 whether the ADs got complied with. 95 00:06:13,108 --> 00:06:17,888 I know pilots who can quote their engine's compression numbers from memory, and 96 00:06:17,888 --> 00:06:21,278 then other pilots who couldn't tell you what month their annual expires. 97 00:06:21,688 --> 00:06:24,838 And I know which group I would want flying my kids around. 98 00:06:25,628 --> 00:06:28,078 This is one of the reasons you learn systems. 99 00:06:28,378 --> 00:06:33,158 So a pre-flight is an inspection, not just a lap around the airplane 100 00:06:33,158 --> 00:06:34,418 with your hands in your pockets. 101 00:06:35,615 --> 00:06:39,795 Of course, my approach that I'm laying out here isn't unique to me. 102 00:06:40,295 --> 00:06:43,765 I first started thinking about it this way during my initial CFI 103 00:06:43,765 --> 00:06:45,345 check ride a couple of years ago. 104 00:06:45,865 --> 00:06:52,135 My very experienced DPE had given me a, kind of a hairy scenario to think 105 00:06:52,145 --> 00:06:54,305 through from an ADM perspective. 106 00:06:54,785 --> 00:06:59,355 It involved high altitude and even higher density altitude on a hot summer 107 00:06:59,355 --> 00:07:01,075 day in the high country in Arizona. 108 00:07:01,825 --> 00:07:05,645 It was a scenario that he uses in his check rides because it 109 00:07:05,655 --> 00:07:11,205 happened in real life to people he knew, and it didn't work out well. 110 00:07:11,825 --> 00:07:16,645 He used the scenario because he wants CFIs thinking about things like this, 111 00:07:17,085 --> 00:07:19,055 teaching students to think about it. 112 00:07:19,685 --> 00:07:23,275 It was the first time I had heard someone kinda put it like this, that 113 00:07:23,275 --> 00:07:28,355 the airplane couldn't do what it was being asked to do, and it was 114 00:07:28,355 --> 00:07:33,435 predictable, and the pilot in command didn't thoroughly check that beforehand. 115 00:07:34,285 --> 00:07:38,675 It's a sad outcome and an important lesson for all of us, and I 116 00:07:38,685 --> 00:07:43,215 never stopped thinking about that question: Can the airplane do it? 117 00:07:44,055 --> 00:07:48,135 It was the genesis of me developing this approach to teaching ADM to 118 00:07:48,135 --> 00:07:53,305 my own students, and the genesis of the three simple questions model 119 00:07:53,315 --> 00:07:54,405 that we're talking about here. 120 00:07:55,555 --> 00:08:00,825 So I'm thankful for that insightful discussion in a cold room at a small 121 00:08:00,825 --> 00:08:06,605 airport in Arizona in November a couple of years ago, the day I became a CFI. 122 00:08:07,285 --> 00:08:08,615 So that's question one. 123 00:08:08,995 --> 00:08:12,305 The airplane's answer, by the way, is always honest. 124 00:08:12,315 --> 00:08:13,745 Physics doesn't negotiate. 125 00:08:14,315 --> 00:08:19,305 Which brings us to the question where the answer, or I guess more accurately, the 126 00:08:20,755 --> 00:08:23,995 answerer, absolutely will try to negotiate 127 00:08:24,929 --> 00:08:26,379 So that's question two. 128 00:08:27,359 --> 00:08:28,289 Can I do it? 129 00:08:28,999 --> 00:08:32,419 This is the software check, and I'll say it straight. 130 00:08:32,489 --> 00:08:36,069 This is the hardest question of the three because it's the only one 131 00:08:36,359 --> 00:08:41,489 where the inspector and the thing being inspected is the same dude. 132 00:08:42,119 --> 00:08:46,519 You have to check your ego at the hangar door because egos are really, 133 00:08:46,519 --> 00:08:48,659 really terrible at self-reflection. 134 00:08:49,749 --> 00:08:55,999 Three lenses again, proficiency, physiology, and capability under pressure. 135 00:08:56,269 --> 00:08:57,799 So let's talk about them quickly. 136 00:08:58,719 --> 00:09:01,359 Proficiency, not currency, proficiency. 137 00:09:01,419 --> 00:09:03,689 This is one of the reasons you have to learn the difference 138 00:09:03,839 --> 00:09:05,039 between those two things. 139 00:09:05,589 --> 00:09:07,189 Currency is a legal concept. 140 00:09:07,559 --> 00:09:12,669 proficiency is a skill concept, and the two drift apart the 141 00:09:12,679 --> 00:09:14,439 minute you stop practicing. 142 00:09:14,989 --> 00:09:18,679 Currency asks, "Have you done three landings in ninety days to carry a 143 00:09:18,679 --> 00:09:23,679 passenger legally?" Proficiency asks, "Were any of those landings any good?" 144 00:09:24,289 --> 00:09:25,909 very different questions, right? 145 00:09:26,339 --> 00:09:27,449 So here's my test. 146 00:09:27,799 --> 00:09:31,229 The winds today are gusting eighteen direct crosswind. 147 00:09:31,669 --> 00:09:36,119 When did you last actually practice a crosswind landing or 148 00:09:36,219 --> 00:09:37,709 even a takeoff for that matter? 149 00:09:38,359 --> 00:09:41,049 Not ride along while one happened. 150 00:09:41,499 --> 00:09:44,729 Practice one on purpose with intention. 151 00:09:45,419 --> 00:09:50,769 If your answer is sometime last quarter, the fact that your ninety-day 152 00:09:50,769 --> 00:09:55,529 landings are legal is not going to impress the runway edge lights, and 153 00:09:55,529 --> 00:09:57,509 skills don't fade evenly either. 154 00:09:57,969 --> 00:10:01,489 The muscle memory hangs around, but the sharp edges go first. 155 00:10:01,889 --> 00:10:06,079 The crosswind correction, the go-around decision, the 156 00:10:06,079 --> 00:10:07,949 radio calls in busy airspace. 157 00:10:07,999 --> 00:10:12,519 This is why we drill maneuvers past the point of good enough for the check ride. 158 00:10:12,919 --> 00:10:15,489 The check ride was an entrance exam 159 00:10:15,949 --> 00:10:17,579 So let's move on to physiology. 160 00:10:17,629 --> 00:10:20,539 The I'M SAFE checklist: illness, medication, stress, 161 00:10:20,569 --> 00:10:22,419 alcohol, fatigue, and emotion. 162 00:10:23,549 --> 00:10:25,229 And yes, this one's in the regs too. 163 00:10:25,229 --> 00:10:29,279 61.53 says if you've got a medical condition that would make you 164 00:10:29,329 --> 00:10:33,149 unable to meet the standard, you're grounded, medical cert or not. 165 00:10:33,829 --> 00:10:36,719 But honestly, the reg is kind of the floor. 166 00:10:37,059 --> 00:10:39,309 The real audit is quick and brutal. 167 00:10:39,649 --> 00:10:44,149 Anything on that list that's true today puts you behind the airplane before 168 00:10:44,149 --> 00:10:45,619 you've even flipped the master on. 169 00:10:46,109 --> 00:10:47,469 Here's my favorite gut check. 170 00:10:47,509 --> 00:10:48,739 I call it the drive test. 171 00:10:49,139 --> 00:10:54,029 If this were a four-hour drive instead of a ninety-minute flight, would 172 00:10:54,029 --> 00:10:55,879 I feel safe making it right now? 173 00:10:56,489 --> 00:11:00,169 If you're too tired to trust yourself on the interstate, you have no 174 00:11:00,169 --> 00:11:01,609 business at four thousand feet. 175 00:11:02,179 --> 00:11:04,889 The interstate has a shoulder, the sky doesn't. 176 00:11:06,249 --> 00:11:09,049 And then the last lens is capability under pressure. 177 00:11:09,549 --> 00:11:11,169 This is a sneaky one. 178 00:11:11,619 --> 00:11:16,789 Not, "Can I fly this flight if everything goes right, if everything is fine?" 179 00:11:17,669 --> 00:11:20,759 It's, "Can I fly it when it degrades? 180 00:11:21,109 --> 00:11:24,979 If the ceiling drops, if the headwind doubles, if the fuel math 181 00:11:24,999 --> 00:11:30,289 gets interesting, is today me, the pilot, who handles that?" Remember 182 00:11:30,289 --> 00:11:34,919 those five hazardous attitudes from your private pilot ground school, 183 00:11:35,139 --> 00:11:40,359 Anti-authority, impulsivity, invulnerability, macho, and resignation. 184 00:11:40,909 --> 00:11:43,739 Here's the thing your instructor maybe didn't say out loud. 185 00:11:44,299 --> 00:11:48,759 You don't have to be a hazardous person to have a hazardous day. 186 00:11:49,689 --> 00:11:52,379 Invulnerability isn't a personality type. 187 00:11:52,739 --> 00:11:55,069 It's a Tuesday afternoon when you're in a hurry. 188 00:11:55,779 --> 00:11:58,469 This is why we made you learn human factors. 189 00:11:58,569 --> 00:12:03,169 Every hazardous attitude, every task saturation lecture was 190 00:12:03,179 --> 00:12:07,769 really about this exact moment of self-assessment on the ramp 191 00:12:08,776 --> 00:12:13,346 So have you ever gotten on the ground and realized that you had completely 192 00:12:13,346 --> 00:12:18,996 skipped the pre-landing checklist and even missed doing a GUMPS check, and nothing 193 00:12:18,996 --> 00:12:22,556 is set up properly for the landing, or probably more accurately, for the 194 00:12:22,566 --> 00:12:25,176 go-around that thankfully wasn't needed? 195 00:12:25,646 --> 00:12:28,611 And luckily, you were in a fixed-gear airplane, right? 196 00:12:29,371 --> 00:12:34,301 Well, we'll get to your personal debrief in a little bit, but you have 197 00:12:34,301 --> 00:12:39,151 to ask yourself in a situation like that, what was going on with you from 198 00:12:39,151 --> 00:12:44,111 a human factors standpoint that made you miss something important like that? 199 00:12:45,361 --> 00:12:49,231 Be honest with yourself, and be on the lookout during the next flight. 200 00:12:49,671 --> 00:12:53,051 Can and should you do the flight? 201 00:12:54,791 --> 00:12:59,401 Well, while the airplane doesn't generally lie to you, you absolutely 202 00:12:59,431 --> 00:13:05,831 can lie to yourself, which is why the third question exists, a referee that 203 00:13:05,831 --> 00:13:07,651 doesn't care about your feelings at all 204 00:13:08,468 --> 00:13:11,318 So question three, is it legal? 205 00:13:11,868 --> 00:13:13,638 This is the regulatory check. 206 00:13:14,018 --> 00:13:16,908 And let me give you a framing that changed how I think about the FARs. 207 00:13:17,228 --> 00:13:22,498 The regulations are the floor of safety, not the ceiling, the floor. 208 00:13:22,998 --> 00:13:25,598 Legal is the bare minimum score. 209 00:13:25,598 --> 00:13:27,008 It's not a good grade. 210 00:13:27,318 --> 00:13:30,798 We never fly below the floor, and most days we shouldn't even 211 00:13:30,798 --> 00:13:32,138 be flying anywhere near it. 212 00:13:33,218 --> 00:13:38,448 Three lenses again to think about in this question, airworthiness, regulations for 213 00:13:38,448 --> 00:13:41,038 the mission, and paperwork that proves it. 214 00:13:41,968 --> 00:13:42,748 So we'll start with airworthiness. 215 00:13:43,938 --> 00:13:46,378 Is the airplane legally airworthy? 216 00:13:46,868 --> 00:13:49,078 Not just sounds fine, looks fine. 217 00:13:49,648 --> 00:13:53,698 91.7 puts that call on you as the PIC. 218 00:13:54,238 --> 00:13:57,188 No flight in an un-airworthy aircraft. 219 00:13:57,528 --> 00:14:00,618 And if it becomes un-airworthy in flight, you divert. 220 00:14:01,178 --> 00:14:04,848 Registration, airworthiness certificate, required documents on 221 00:14:04,848 --> 00:14:07,238 board, required equipment working. 222 00:14:07,618 --> 00:14:12,568 And remember 91.3, you are the final authority for this aircraft. 223 00:14:13,008 --> 00:14:16,658 That authority is a gift right up until it's a responsibility. 224 00:14:18,078 --> 00:14:20,368 So the next one is regulations for the mission. 225 00:14:20,968 --> 00:14:25,108 Airspace, cloud clearances, visibility minimums for your 226 00:14:25,108 --> 00:14:31,798 certificate in this airplane, in this airspace, plus your pilot currency. 227 00:14:32,278 --> 00:14:37,268 Flight review, landing currency if you're carrying passengers, medical or basic med. 228 00:14:37,788 --> 00:14:41,678 This is why you had to memorize those cloud clearance numbers that felt 229 00:14:41,678 --> 00:14:43,778 like arbitrary trivia sometimes. 230 00:14:44,348 --> 00:14:45,338 They're not trivia. 231 00:14:45,748 --> 00:14:49,428 They're the legal definition of being far enough away from the thing that'll 232 00:14:49,438 --> 00:14:54,374 kill you to be able to see and avoid it And notice the question is about 233 00:14:54,374 --> 00:14:56,834 the mission, not just the takeoff. 234 00:14:57,274 --> 00:15:00,634 Legal at departure doesn't mean legal at destination. 235 00:15:00,964 --> 00:15:06,654 Night falls, weather moves and changes, airspace can change based on time of day. 236 00:15:07,214 --> 00:15:11,324 Ask the questions for the whole flight, ramp to ramp. 237 00:15:12,516 --> 00:15:13,726 And then there's paperwork. 238 00:15:14,056 --> 00:15:19,646 Inspections are current, annual, transponder, pitot-static if you're IFR, 239 00:15:19,646 --> 00:15:23,886 ELT battery, documented and inspected for every aspect of this flight. 240 00:15:24,806 --> 00:15:26,496 And look, I know the temptation. 241 00:15:26,496 --> 00:15:31,056 You're one day past an inspection, or the ceiling is just below your 242 00:15:31,056 --> 00:15:33,476 minimums, and dinner's waiting at home. 243 00:15:34,056 --> 00:15:38,466 I've seen pilots get creative with the FARs to make a schedule, and I get it. 244 00:15:38,766 --> 00:15:39,906 We're mission-oriented. 245 00:15:40,256 --> 00:15:41,766 Trust me on two things. 246 00:15:42,126 --> 00:15:47,266 The dinner is never that good, and the FAA has many fine qualities, but a sense 247 00:15:47,266 --> 00:15:51,586 of humor about creative interpretations is probably not among them. 248 00:15:52,596 --> 00:15:55,796 What about when the situation changes during the flight? 249 00:15:56,216 --> 00:15:59,346 You have to assess risks of a changing environment to make sure 250 00:15:59,346 --> 00:16:01,036 that you stay legal and safe. 251 00:16:01,616 --> 00:16:05,196 Earlier this year, I was coming back to Arizona in the Jabiru with my 252 00:16:05,196 --> 00:16:07,836 wife after a weekend trip up in Utah. 253 00:16:08,316 --> 00:16:13,366 We were over the high country, and we ran into some unforecasted headwinds. 254 00:16:13,366 --> 00:16:17,446 Well, actually, they were forecasted, but they were four or five times higher 255 00:16:17,446 --> 00:16:19,286 in velocity than they were forecasted. 256 00:16:20,366 --> 00:16:24,306 There were times when we were approaching the Grand Canyon where the headwind, 257 00:16:24,856 --> 00:16:31,446 not, not the whole wind, just the headwind component, was sixty-five knots. 258 00:16:31,726 --> 00:16:34,146 We were crawling. 259 00:16:34,666 --> 00:16:38,946 With that, of course, our time and route was growing rapidly. 260 00:16:39,496 --> 00:16:43,646 And while the Jab has some pretty good legs, it became clear that with these 261 00:16:43,656 --> 00:16:48,736 winds, I could no longer make sure that we would keep the proper and legal reserves 262 00:16:48,736 --> 00:16:51,646 of fuel, let alone my personal minimums. 263 00:16:52,486 --> 00:16:57,226 So we made a long day of travel even longer by making a stop 264 00:16:57,226 --> 00:17:00,536 at a little airport in Kanab to refuel just to be sure. 265 00:17:01,186 --> 00:17:05,706 It was a long day, and neither of us wanted to stop, but it was 266 00:17:05,716 --> 00:17:08,616 for sure the prudent thing to do 267 00:17:09,722 --> 00:17:10,212 All right. 268 00:17:10,752 --> 00:17:16,052 So the airplane can do it, you can do it, and it's legal. 269 00:17:16,422 --> 00:17:17,392 Three yeses. 270 00:17:18,172 --> 00:17:19,002 We're going, right? 271 00:17:19,872 --> 00:17:20,652 Well, almost. 272 00:17:21,342 --> 00:17:26,202 What you have now is what we call a tentative go decision, because 273 00:17:26,202 --> 00:17:30,432 there's one more failure mode, and it's the one that fills accident 274 00:17:30,442 --> 00:17:33,302 reports, the accumulation of risk. 275 00:17:33,582 --> 00:17:36,642 No single red flag, just a stack of yellow ones. 276 00:17:37,242 --> 00:17:39,082 So here's the three strikes rule. 277 00:17:39,492 --> 00:17:46,202 If any three factors in your assessment are yellow, legal, technically safe, yes, 278 00:17:46,472 --> 00:17:49,542 but not ideal, the flight, it's a no-go. 279 00:17:50,702 --> 00:17:52,882 So here's an example, and this is just an example. 280 00:17:53,382 --> 00:17:57,862 Gusty winds, but within your ability, yellow, but totally fine. 281 00:17:58,352 --> 00:18:02,392 You're a little tired after work, yellow, but totally fine. 282 00:18:03,282 --> 00:18:06,622 Short, skinny, unfamiliar runway, yellow. 283 00:18:07,222 --> 00:18:08,042 Totally fine. 284 00:18:08,492 --> 00:18:11,072 Each one on its own is kind of a shrug. 285 00:18:11,482 --> 00:18:15,142 Stack all three, and you've just preassembled the first three 286 00:18:15,142 --> 00:18:18,522 links of an accident chain and given it a ride to the airport. 287 00:18:19,272 --> 00:18:24,412 The NTSB report never says, "It was the wind that did it." It lists five factors, 288 00:18:24,412 --> 00:18:26,872 and every single one was survivable alone. 289 00:18:27,462 --> 00:18:31,582 This is the entire logic behind the FAA's Risk Management Handbook. 290 00:18:31,932 --> 00:18:33,862 Risk multiplies. 291 00:18:34,522 --> 00:18:36,102 And here's the insidious part. 292 00:18:36,712 --> 00:18:38,252 Yellows don't announce themselves. 293 00:18:38,282 --> 00:18:42,612 Nobody stands on the ramp thinking, "I am now accepting my third elevated 294 00:18:42,662 --> 00:18:46,892 risk factor." each one arrives separately, wearing a disguise 295 00:18:46,902 --> 00:18:48,362 that makes it look just fine. 296 00:18:48,902 --> 00:18:51,562 The wind picked up after you checked the METARs. 297 00:18:52,072 --> 00:18:54,272 The delay that made you tired happened at work. 298 00:18:54,272 --> 00:18:55,522 It was hours ago. 299 00:18:56,172 --> 00:19:00,422 The unfamiliar airport was baked into the plan from day one, so 300 00:19:00,422 --> 00:19:01,482 we don't need to worry about it. 301 00:19:02,022 --> 00:19:07,852 This three strikes rule works because it forces you to stop and count, 302 00:19:08,192 --> 00:19:12,512 to line the yellows up next to each other and look at them as a set. 303 00:19:12,742 --> 00:19:13,212 That's it. 304 00:19:13,232 --> 00:19:14,242 That's the whole trick. 305 00:19:14,762 --> 00:19:18,042 Personal minimums do the same job before you ever leave the house. 306 00:19:18,452 --> 00:19:20,962 This rule catches what might slip through. 307 00:19:21,682 --> 00:19:24,172 three yellows, no goes. 308 00:19:24,262 --> 00:19:26,132 It's like it rhymes. 309 00:19:26,242 --> 00:19:29,382 All right, I know it doesn't rhyme, but remember it anyway. 310 00:19:29,768 --> 00:19:33,678 Look, as I've said before, I'm all for pushing the envelope 311 00:19:33,678 --> 00:19:34,948 on your skills and abilities. 312 00:19:34,948 --> 00:19:35,958 That's how we get better. 313 00:19:36,458 --> 00:19:40,228 But just make sure you're pushing one corner of the envelope at a time. 314 00:19:40,798 --> 00:19:44,948 When you have really mastered short, skinny runways through a lot of 315 00:19:44,948 --> 00:19:49,898 practice and experience, that one yellow becomes a green and doesn't 316 00:19:49,908 --> 00:19:52,228 become part of the yellow stack anymore. 317 00:19:52,808 --> 00:19:56,648 As you get more experienced and therefore more skill, it can turn 318 00:19:56,648 --> 00:20:01,418 a no-go from the three strikes rule six months ago into a go today. 319 00:20:01,918 --> 00:20:04,128 That's what experience and practice can bring you. 320 00:20:04,568 --> 00:20:06,088 But be honest with yourself. 321 00:20:06,508 --> 00:20:13,398 As the yellow flags stack up, be cautious, count them, and be ready to call it. 322 00:20:13,998 --> 00:20:18,058 It could save your life, and maybe more importantly, keep 323 00:20:18,058 --> 00:20:19,928 you off the Blancolirio channel. 324 00:20:20,668 --> 00:20:21,608 I kid, I kid. 325 00:20:21,748 --> 00:20:23,338 It's important that you save your life too 326 00:20:24,522 --> 00:20:27,012 All right, so there's one more thing. 327 00:20:27,512 --> 00:20:34,002 Because our motto is fly, learn, repeat, and the learn doesn't necessarily 328 00:20:34,002 --> 00:20:37,662 happen automatically, the flight isn't over when the prop stops. 329 00:20:38,072 --> 00:20:41,012 It's over when you've debriefed it with yourself. 330 00:20:41,412 --> 00:20:46,492 Five questions to ask yourself right there at the tie-downs, maybe 90 seconds 331 00:20:46,942 --> 00:20:50,182 before the flight evaporates into memory. 332 00:20:50,922 --> 00:20:52,962 One, the surprise. 333 00:20:53,212 --> 00:20:55,742 What happened today that I didn't expect? 334 00:20:56,142 --> 00:20:57,792 Two, the workload. 335 00:20:58,202 --> 00:21:01,312 At what point did I feel most behind the airplane? 336 00:21:01,762 --> 00:21:03,262 Three, the skill. 337 00:21:03,752 --> 00:21:07,772 Which maneuver or portion of the flight did I fly at a C grade today? 338 00:21:08,042 --> 00:21:10,082 And be honest, nobody's watching. 339 00:21:11,092 --> 00:21:12,852 Four, the decisions. 340 00:21:13,382 --> 00:21:17,222 Did I make any choice today based on convenience rather 341 00:21:17,222 --> 00:21:18,662 than safety or prudence? 342 00:21:19,352 --> 00:21:21,052 That one stings, and it's supposed to. 343 00:21:21,662 --> 00:21:24,212 And finally, question five, the goal. 344 00:21:24,602 --> 00:21:30,862 What's the one thing I wanna focus on and make sure I fix for the next flight? 345 00:21:31,972 --> 00:21:36,162 You do that after every flight, and you've turned every hour in your logbook 346 00:21:36,412 --> 00:21:38,142 into two hours worth of learning. 347 00:21:38,492 --> 00:21:41,332 It's the cheapest flight instruction you'll ever get 348 00:21:42,618 --> 00:21:45,098 So the whole episode on a napkin. 349 00:21:45,348 --> 00:21:47,308 Three questions before every flight. 350 00:21:47,328 --> 00:21:48,538 Can the airplane do it? 351 00:21:49,018 --> 00:21:50,808 That's physics and the POH. 352 00:21:51,098 --> 00:21:51,828 Can I do it? 353 00:21:51,958 --> 00:21:54,548 That's proficiency and looking in the mirror. 354 00:21:54,548 --> 00:21:55,618 We're human, after all. 355 00:21:56,298 --> 00:21:57,568 And is it legal? 356 00:21:57,938 --> 00:22:00,648 That's the floor we never fly below. 357 00:22:01,468 --> 00:22:03,618 Three yeses get you a tentative go. 358 00:22:04,178 --> 00:22:09,358 Then check the yellows, because three yellows is also a no-go, at 359 00:22:09,358 --> 00:22:11,008 least without proper mitigation. 360 00:22:11,568 --> 00:22:15,288 And when you shut down, five debrief questions before you 361 00:22:15,288 --> 00:22:19,498 walk away so you achieve the learn part even more effectively. 362 00:22:20,218 --> 00:22:24,218 Simple questions and everything you've ever studied, every chart, 363 00:22:24,248 --> 00:22:28,598 every reg, every hour of dual was really just training to 364 00:22:28,598 --> 00:22:30,318 help you answer them effectively 365 00:22:31,180 --> 00:22:35,860 Now, you don't have to remember all of this because I built it into a 366 00:22:35,860 --> 00:22:39,840 two-page PDF that you can throw in your flight bag, electronic or otherwise. 367 00:22:40,300 --> 00:22:44,840 The three questions, the three strikes rule, and the debrief all in one document. 368 00:22:44,850 --> 00:22:45,730 It's free. 369 00:22:46,100 --> 00:22:50,490 So grab it at studentpilotcast.com/threequestions, 370 00:22:51,100 --> 00:22:53,220 and I'll put a link in the show notes, of course. 371 00:22:53,730 --> 00:22:57,370 That will also get you the Friday Flight Brief, the weekly newsletter 372 00:22:57,580 --> 00:22:59,400 for pilots who never stop learning. 373 00:23:00,390 --> 00:23:05,020 And as always, y- if you've got a question, a story, or a topic you 374 00:23:05,020 --> 00:23:09,120 want me to hit, leave me a voicemail at the RadioCheck link in the show 375 00:23:09,120 --> 00:23:11,990 notes, or just reach out any other way. 376 00:23:11,990 --> 00:23:14,540 You can find out how on the contact page of the website. 377 00:23:14,990 --> 00:23:17,050 I read and I listen to everything. 378 00:23:17,970 --> 00:23:22,720 By the way, I am planning to be at Oshkosh this year from Sunday through Friday, 379 00:23:23,130 --> 00:23:25,130 so if you're gonna be there, reach out. 380 00:23:25,220 --> 00:23:28,690 I'd love to talk to some listeners and see what people are up to. 381 00:23:28,710 --> 00:23:29,920 It's about the people, right? 382 00:23:30,490 --> 00:23:33,870 I'm hoping to get some good topics and stories while there, so stay tuned. 383 00:23:34,250 --> 00:23:37,720 Also, stick by the socials, as I'll try to actually post some 384 00:23:37,720 --> 00:23:39,160 things while there real time. 385 00:23:39,720 --> 00:23:43,740 Afterward, I'll do a recap episode, And then some features I'm sure. 386 00:23:44,260 --> 00:23:48,080 But most importantly, reach out and let me know what you saw or what you 387 00:23:48,080 --> 00:23:50,430 missed and you would like to have seen. 388 00:23:51,060 --> 00:23:52,070 I hope to see you there. 389 00:23:52,390 --> 00:23:57,900 The socials quickly are @BillWill on X. That's bravo, india, lima, lima, whiskey, 390 00:23:57,910 --> 00:24:03,380 india, lima, and studentpilotcast, all one word of course, on Instagram. 391 00:24:05,070 --> 00:24:08,050 But here's the thought I really wanna leave you with. 392 00:24:08,620 --> 00:24:13,150 Someday, maybe soon, you're gonna stand on the ramp alone with the keys 393 00:24:13,150 --> 00:24:17,660 in your hand and nobody checking your work, and in that moment, you're gonna 394 00:24:17,660 --> 00:24:19,770 realize what all of this was for. 395 00:24:20,060 --> 00:24:23,130 The ground school, the charts, the regs that felt like homework. 396 00:24:23,480 --> 00:24:26,980 All of it was preparing you to look at an airplane, look at the 397 00:24:26,980 --> 00:24:32,750 sky, look critically at yourself, and give three honest answers. 398 00:24:33,220 --> 00:24:34,230 That's not a burden. 399 00:24:34,710 --> 00:24:35,520 That's the job. 400 00:24:35,990 --> 00:24:40,050 And the fact that you're here listening, still sharpening the pencil, 401 00:24:40,467 --> 00:24:43,517 That tells me that you're gonna answer them just fine. 402 00:24:44,327 --> 00:24:49,917 We're still flying, still learning, and it turns out the three simplest questions 403 00:24:49,917 --> 00:24:53,137 in aviation have a 50-year answer key