Fitness for Flight
Fitness for flight includes short-term assessment of your own ability to operate safely, as well as long term dedication to leading a healthy lifestyle. As pilots, we cannot simply pull over the side of the road when things go wrong. Furthermore, our passengers often know little about aviation and are trusting us to make good decisions regarding safety.
Lesson Notes
It’s important to ensure you are physically fit to fly. And during training, if you’re not fit to fly, you’re likely not well-equipped to learn. The IMSAFE acronym is the most popular method to self-evaluate your fitness for flight. In addition, it’s critical to prepare in advance of flights by practicing healthy habits. Remember that flying airplanes is a lifestyle.
We forgot to mention that, in addition to the 8 hour rule, there is a maximum blood alcohol content (BAC) limit of .04% (for reference, many states’ limits are .08% for driving).
Flashcard Questions
- Why would you personally not want to fly sick?
- What are the rules regarding alcohol consumption and flying?
- Your dog just died a few hours before you were scheduled to go fly with a friend. Are you safe to fly?
- You wake up for a 5am flight, have a quick cup of coffee while you review the weather and head out. Your return by noon, only to find a friend waiting at the airport clubhouse. He seems eager to fly and asks you if you can take him flying. What might you consider in your IMSAFE assessment?
- Is the IMSAFE assessment a legal requirement or just good practice?