1) Wait your turn on the radios.
Stepping on someone can create confusion between ATC and other pilots, requiring a second or third transmission for instructions to be understood. When you tune to a new frequency, wait a few seconds to make sure someone isn’t already in the middle of a transmission.
2) Consider your lights.
Whether you’re holding short of a taxiway to let someone else pass, or you’re holding short of a runway, consider which exterior lighting you have on. Especially at night, make sure you turn off landing and taxi lights while holding short of runway to avoid blinding pilots as they cross the threshold.
3) Don’t cut people off.
Be aware of other pilots that may be inbound or already in the traffic pattern. There are few things as frustrating (and dangerous) as someone cutting you off in the pattern.
4) Consider noise abatement.
Whether you’re operating near a city, or individual houses in a sparsely populated area, try to avoid unnecessary noise. This is especially true for departures, arrivals, and ground reference maneuvers. Unhappy people on the ground can lead to more published noise abatement procedures.
5) Announce your position.
At pilot-controlled fields, make sure you’re keeping all air traffic on the frequency up-to-date with your location and intentions.
6) Avoid “Park and Goes”.
Whether you’re getting landing current or just practicing, make sure you’re timely with reconfiguring the aircraft during the stop-and-goes. Taking extended periods of time on the runway could require traffic on final to go-around and get unnecessarily close to you.
What else can you do to be a better pilot on your next flight? Tell us in the comments below.
