Vance’s Cheat Sheets!

[Vance]

As promised in the Tower tour at SBA thread Ed took some pictures of my knee board laminated airport cards.

I have the knee board on my left leg so my arm doesn’t block my view unless I am going to do a lot of writing and then I transfer it to my right leg so it is easier to write on. It is a full size clip board that has been narrowed, a clip added to the bottom and two Velcro straps to go around my leg.

The writing is a little rough because I am flying for some of it and the Predator has a certain amount of stick shake. These are as used on the last flights.

Lompoc (LPC) is an uncontrolled airport with noise abatement procedures that require a right pattern for 25 so it is important to call the pattern direction so that people unfamiliar with the airport know where you are. I have more time to think about it when I am taking off so if I am taking off on 7 I just make some notes.

San Louis Obispo (SBP) is class D airspace so it is about using the least words to communicate accurately.

Santa Barbara (SBA) is class C airspace and the writing is bad on departure because I am trying to keep up with clearance delivery. Inbound has more room to write because I am flying and I may not be looking at the knee board as I write.

Santa Barbara has a lot of frequencies and sometimes inbound from the west and inbound from the east is have different frequencies. They describe what they are doing currently in ATIS and I often circle the one to use. In this case it was what I expected.

I explained the one for Lockheed Martin in my last post. The more I use it the more I like it.

We also included a picture of my preflight check list and my take off and shut down procedures. It helps me to not wonder if I forgot something so I can enjoy the flying more.

I hope this sparks some ideas for what would work for you.

Thank you, Vance

[SgurlEd]

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[SgurlEd]

These are the Pre-flight Checklist
This is the frontside of the checklist that we do together:
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3538/3402128032_abdb15cddc_b.jpg
This is the back side of the checklist for the Pilots Personal Front seat checklist:
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3628/3401383887_f6e369f3ed_b.jpg

[GrantR]

Nothing wrong with that! I like to be over prepared as well. A good checklist is a life saver in my opinion plus having everything well though out ahead of time.

[Mike Jackson]

Nice job Vance.

Well prepared. We do the same in the airline business......and usually expect the unexpected.

Mike

[GyroDoug]

Vance,

Thank you for sharing that with us. I will study it and see what I can do to be more organized like you are. You are a good role model for the rest of us.

Thanks again.

[Resasi]

Vance a great example of good preparation.

Looked very professional.

[Vance]

Thank you Grant, the other pilots at the airport have been very supportive of my efforts to remember and be consistent.

Thank you Mike, I learn every time I fly and I am constantly updating them.

You are welcome Doug; it was your idea to share them.

I forget that everyone has memory problems, just not as severe as mine.

I hope they can be the seed for some ideas that will help others.

Thank you Leigh, that means a lot to me coming from a professional.

Thank you all for the kind words and not making fun of how basic my tools are,

Vance

[Timchick]

Very nice Vance.

[animal]

those are Nice Vance,I like the photo of the airport with the Runways marked. very well thought out. the pre and post flight check lists look very detailed also.
I had to grin at the check batterys in camera part. we Know Ed sure ain't gonna let that get by again.

thanks for sharing with us.

[Udi]

That's the way to do it. I was doing the same thing when venturing to other airports - helps a lot with the mental load when you don't have to keep everything in your head. Staying organized and ahead of the plane is the key to long life.

Udi

[automan1223]

Good prep but don't get so caught up in the cockpit that you are not looking outside the aircraft.

J

[Gyro_Kai]

Great templates, I will rework mine with this input.

One more thing:
In my radio class they emphasized many times that you are never "ready for takeoff" but only "ready for departure". Take-off is only used in the phrase "cleared for(to) take-off".

The reason being that if you misunderstand and think you have been cleared for take-off while actually you were to do something BEFORE takeoff, you may get yourself and others into trouble.

Kai

[Vance]

Thank you Tim.

Thank you Timothy, the runway layouts and taxiway maps are very helpful. Even at my home airport when the winds come up and they are landing in a different direction it is helpful to follow along on the map as ATC gives me taxi instructions. It also helps me to tell ATC where I am and where I want to go.

Thank you Udi, I have found one of the keys to managing ATC is to stay one frequency ahead so I can just press the flip flop to contact the next entity.

Good point Jonathan, I use them as cheat sheets and glance at what comes next. I do not read them as I am flying along.

I still take a deep breath before I push the talk button and it is easy for me to forget some detail that is important. I used to have every word written out but repetition helped to make them shorter.

Thank you,

Vance

[Dean_Dolph]

Vance, I've saved these for the people in our local chapter. But I find that I have a question on how you manage the 'sheets'!

I think I counted about 11 so you don't have them all in use at one time. Where do you keep the sheets until it is time to use them? I'm assuming that you use them in a sequence so how do you keep track of where you are in the sequence?

These questions are coming from someone that never got far enough in training to be concerned about this but feel it is time to learn anyhow!

[Vance]

Thank you Kai,

That is a change I will make on mine.

The devil is in the details.

Clear communication becomes more challenging when your life depends on it.

Thank you, Vance

[Vance]

Vance, I've saved these for the people in our local chapter. But I find that I have a question on how you manage the 'sheets'!

I think I counted about 11 so you don't have them all in use at one time. Where do you keep the sheets until it is time to use them? I'm assuming that you use them in a sequence so how do you keep track of where you are in the sequence?

These questions are coming from someone that never got far enough in training to be concerned about this but feel it is time to learn anyhow!

Thank you for asking Dean that is a part of the process that helps me.

I have more than 40; I don’t take them all with me. I keep the ones I am not using on two clipboards at the hangar labeled North and South.

The pre flight inspection and take off procedure goes in a little compartment on the right of my pod as does the Briefer sheet when I have called it in.

Before I call Lockheed Martin I fill out the flight plan, briefer sheet and lay out the radio calls for the airports I will fly by as part of my preflight planning.

I mark my chart with the way points and think about what I am doing.

I stack the radio calls on the knee board in order and pull the radio call sheets off when I am done with each airport and slide them into the same compartment. In an open aircraft I could just slide them to the bottom on the kneeboard.

I have the alternate airports under the airports in the flight plan.

Laminating them makes it easier to keep them from littering the countryside, although several have found their way to the ground.

I have my kneeboard on my left leg and I follow my chart and mark up my flight plan on my right leg with a standard kneeboard.

I have found it helpful to make most of my mistakes in the planning stage of a flight.

Now that I have a dedicated costume Ed and I are looking at different ways to attach things to my legs. The knee board is sometimes a little awkward.

Thank you, Vance

[Gyro_Kai]

Clear communication becomes more challenging when your life depends on it.



Well said! The wrong phrase is constantly used in movies advertisements etc. I cringe every time.

Your meticulous and detailed approach is an example for all. It also answers the question: "How much time do you save by flying there?"
together with "how high can you fly" one of the most frequent, useless questions I get regarding gyro-flying.


Kai.

[Resasi]

Vance, 'preparation. 'preparation, preparation!' my first instructor used to say to me. Ex-RAF fresh from Central Flying School and an Instructor's instructor. I was privileged to learn from him.

You are so right. Thinking ahead and preparing for all the eventualities you think you might get, frees up time for those you didn't expect.

[SgurlEd]

Happy Friday Everyone!
I thought I'd post some more picture of Vance in "ACTION"
As you can see our Pilot has little space for much of anything!
This is his Kneeboard in Use!
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3647/3409895779_eabf9004f5_b.jpg
Vance Managing the GPS @ the Gaviota Pass
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Switching the Transponder
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Cruising the Ridgeline at the Gaviota Pass...YIKES!!!
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3613/3409901065_a45665cc98_b.jpg
Here we are Landing in Santa Barbara.
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3354/3410715852_9e94b71062_b.jpg

[Steve McGowan]

These are the Pre-flight Checklist
This is the frontside of the checklist that we do together:
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3538/3402128032_abdb15cddc_b.jpg
This is the back side of the checklist for the Pilots Personal Front seat checklist:
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3628/3401383887_f6e369f3ed_b.jpg

Whatd you do with the Check List that started off..


Sit Down

Shut the Hell Up !! Just Jokin..

First time I ever saw Santa Barbara,, Thanks Sir..

[Vance]

Hello Steve,

The sit down is the action that is defined underneath, just like Start up has a list of things to do.

I am not actually reminding myself that I need to sit down or start the engine. I am describing the process.

I am glad you enjoyed Santa Barbara, It is great to have you along!

Thank you, Vance