Pilot's tip of the week

Pilot Emergency Procedures

Featuring

Subscriber question:

 "How do I best handle in-flight fire emergency, electrical and/or fuel related emergencies? " - Frank R.

Not subscribed yet? Sign up here to receive tips like this every week.

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

Bob Martens:

Emergency procedures“These are all very serious issues.

The common response to all of these emergencies is to get the aircraft on the ground as soon as possible. Any delay could prove very costly.

Remember the big three:

1. Maintain aircraft control
2. Analyze the situation
3. Take positive action.

Run your emergency checklist just as soon as possible. Notify ATC and declare an emergency.

In-flight fire is obviously the most severe and requires immediate action. Land now!

Electrical issues might be mitigated by shutting off equipment and isolating the problem. But just because you stopped the immediate problem does not mean you are out of the woods. Land now! Who knows what damage exists?

Low fuel state can not tolerate additional delays. Land while the aircraft is still powered.”

(NEW) VFR Mastery scenario #96 “Hat Trick” is now available. Your mostly grown children go to college or work in three states across the midwest. Visiting one by car is a long drive both ways, but you can plan a loop trip in your Mooney and get all three with ease. It’s your spouse’s birthday soon and you concoct a plan to meet each kid for dinner over a long weekend as a birthday surprise—if the weather cooperates. It’s July and convection plus your lagging IFR proficiency makes VFR a must. Cells will move through over the next three days, but there should be a sequence of destinations and a set of routes that will make this plan work, 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.