Originally published in 2008
Ownership Responsibilities
One of the most overlooked considerations in private aviation is the owner’s responsibility to maintain the aircraft and ensure both plane and pilot ore up to the task. Owners con ovoid the slippery slope of bod maintenance and operational decisions by
- Flying procedures as charted, with proper equipment and authorized clearances.
- Recognizing when you are applying workarounds to your maintenance or flying and fix the underlying problems now.
- Recognizing that medications and fatigue do affect decision-making and motor skills.
- Honestly evaluating whether you can afford to own the airplane, or if you need to step back in airplane type or performance to be able to maintain it safely within your budget. (The pilot of a turbocharged, single-engine retractable once told me he feels you can’t afford on airplane unless you con fund replacing the engine at any time. That may be true, especially with harder-to-maintain older airplanes.)
- Seeking out a mechanic that will help you maintain your airplane as inexpensively as is safe, but who will not enable your decisions and deferrals that ore blatantly dangerous.
- Heeding the warning signs. If other pilots or aviation professionals are warning you about your unsafe behaviors, they may be trying to save your life, and those of your family and friends.
SOURCE: Aviation Safety, 2007
