The idea is to mentally rehearse
procedures so that they become
more familiar and practiced.
Chair flying can be accomplished
just about anywhere and anytime.
Just sit down, close your eyes, and
clear your mind. Now visualize
a flight, and all the steps and
procedures to be followed from
startup to shutdown. Focus on
every sight, sound, and sensation.
Visualize the instrument panel, the
controls, and the view from the
cockpit, and rehearse in your mind
every detail of the flight, from the
control pressures to instrument
readings. Imagine an emergency,
and then go through the procedure
step by step to resolve the problem.
While the process of chair flying
may sound simplistic or even silly,
it’s a valuable tool for programming
the mind. In fact, visualization
techniques are commonly used
by professional athletes and other
competitors to improve performance.
Years ago champion motorcycle
racer Kenny Roberts used this same
technique, and it kept him at the top
of his game. He would sit down before
a race and visualize every turn of the
course, the gear he would be in, the
rpm he would be turning, and every
imaginable detail. Then he would go
out and do it. For pilots, visualization
techniques can be a great way to
practice everything from slow flight
and stalls to spins, pattern procedures,
and emergency procedures.
Share the Air
Sometimes we simply can’t afford
to travel where we wish. Instead
of flying off to new adventures, we
end up visiting closer, more familiar
destinations or simply flying around
the local area and practicing a few
landings. While this might be fun, it
does little to engage our full spectrum
of pilot skills and capabilities.
One way to inject excitement into
flying and make better use of flight
time is to share the experience with
another pilot. Choose a destination
that you would both enjoy, then
one pilot can fly to the destination
and the other can fly back. While
each pilot is pilot in command (PIC)
for only one leg, there is value in
sharing the cockpit on a flight and
