they regularly fly the same aircraft at the
same airport, and then they come up
short when conditions change. Changing
seasons (density altitude), aircraft weight
and balance, and runway and weather
conditions can readily alter takeoff performance in a dramatic and profound
manner. By knowing how the aircraft
should perform, we can more readily
identify problems on the takeoff roll.
A THOROUGH RUN-UP
Complacency may also strike during the
run-up. I’ve seen eager pilots run through
the procedure so quickly and automatically that the problems don’t even
register. For example, the pilot points to
the ammeter, voltmeter, or even the
tachometer, but doesn’t recognize that
the reading is not within limits. Following
a good “flow” or pattern when performing the run-up procedure can help keep
us from missing checklist items, but we
must still scrutinize the information
that’s right in front of our eyes.
Another common mistake is the “it’s
always like that” syndrome, where a
marginal or out-of-tolerance indication
is brushed aside because it was like that
before, and nothing bad happened. If
the readings aren’t right, then something is wrong, and we should
investigate further before takeoff.
Remember that safety is like a chain,
and when the weak link breaks, the
entire chain is compromised. A looming
electrical failure might not pose a problem on a day visual flight rules (VFR)
flight, but the same emergency at night
or in instrument meteorological conditions (IMC) could prove fatal.
TRAFFIC AWARENESS
Especially at nontowered airports,
maintaining a high level of traffic
awareness is critical to safety, and it’s
important to use all our tools and
senses while not relying exclusively on
any single one. Even if we’re heads-up
with the radio calls, recognize that
other pilots might not be communicating or may be using the wrong
frequency. Even in VFR conditions,
some pilots follow instrument flight
rules (IFR) approach procedures to the
