Pilot's tip of the week

I’m Lost…Now What?

Featuring

Subscriber question:

"I fly with ForeFlight on my iPad for navigation and use my iPhone for backup. The other day while flying, I had both devices quit working (not my day). I know it's highly unusual to get lost with the electronics we have in modern cockpits, but it got me thinking...what should you do if you get lost?"- Larry R.

Bob:

“First and most important – don’t panic. Your aircraft will respond normally. It does not know you are lost.

Climb – remove the fear of running into terrain or obstacles. (It also helps you find familiar landmarks and extends the range of radio communications.)

Communicate – get ATC involved as soon as possible. 121.5 (the aircraft emergency frequency) works in the absence of a local frequency.

Confess – tell ATC exactly what’s going on and request assistance. If low fuel is an issue let ATC know immediately.

Comply – follow ATC’s instructions. They know what to do to get you on the ground safely. Don’t compound your situation!

Use all available resources. Navaids, other pilots, situational awareness.

I know of a student pilot who crashed his airplane making an off-airport landing after he got lost. There were three airports within ten minutes of his off-airport landing site.

Think! Don’t panic.”

(NEW) IFR Mastery scenario #173 “Mammoth Winds West of Macon” is now available. A last-minute switch to a slower airplane is unfortunate, but flight planning shows strong tailwinds will almost make up the difference. The time and range should still work—until you level off in cruise and see an ETA an hour further out than you anticipated. Surely that can’t be right. But what is right? Watch the Intro video.

Get the Pilot’s Tip of the Week

Sign up here to receive tips like this every week along with videos, quizzes and more.

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.