Originally published in 2002
PILOT SAFETY FLYING STRATEGIES
- Plan your flight so that you don’t have to look up enroute and destination information or program a Global Positioning System (GPS) while airborne.
- Clean your windshield, make S-turns during a climb to improve forward visibility, and use a cruise climb airspeed for a better view over the nose.
- Enlist passengers’ help in scanning for traffic.
- Use aircraft lights to improve visibility to other pilots and use the landing light on approach, departure, and climbout.
- Use sunglasses that block ultraviolet rays and improve visibility through haze, but be aware that polarized sunglasses may block the glint of sunlight on other aircraft.
- Communicate with radar approach controllers when possible and announce your position starting 10 miles out at non-towered airports.
- Become a target by installing a transponder if your aircraft doesn’t have one, and squawk altitude (Mode C) when in flight.
- Scan for traffic, remembering that most accidents involve one aircraft overtaking another.
SOURCE: Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA)