Rehearse the Bad Day Before It Comes: A Teacher's Case for Owner-Pilots

The piece centers on a highly credentialed flight instructor and the lesson they leave with students: a pilot should work through contingencies before a flight, and when the plan goes wrong, rely on the skills they have already practiced. For owners who fly their own airplanes, that is a familiar idea. Nobody else in the left seat will run those scenarios for you. Whether the airplane lives at a Florida field or a Colorado mountain airport, the useful thinking happens on the ground, before the engine starts. It costs little and is worth a great deal.

With reporting from Flying.