david.rabine

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====== Mike Allen CFI ======

Mike had great discipline and knowledge.  He knew his stuff, and wanted you to know it too and didn't suffer for fools or me being under prepared.  I respected that and think he's a great pilot and showed me what a professional pilot should be doing in the cockpit (and everywhere for that matter).

Some tips I remember:

  * Use the length of a known runway as a measuring stick.  If a runway is 6000 feet, that is about a NM, so you can visualize what a nautical mile is on the surface of the Earth by imagining 1.5 lengths of the runway, etc...
  * If you have an open flight plan, move your watch to your opposite arm.  It will help remind you that you have an open flight plan!  He had a watch with a stretch band, so it was a simple matter to move to the other arm.
  * Use an watch with timing features.  There are great pilot watches out there, I like the vibrate alarms you get with the Garmin watch.  Maybe there are others.  Fitbit would be great if it was useful without network / phone required to set it.
  * Economy of action, be the most efficient and controls and minimize wasted motions / effort.
  * Carry a minimum equipment list of items on your person.  The VFR chart scale, a flash light, etc... on your person and in the same place so you always knew where to find it.  (I need to get the actual equipment list and put here) FIXME
  * Organize your knee-board as your work desk.  Set it up consistently every flight.
    * **NOTE:**  I like the idea of putting the forecast winds at your expected location each hour in a table at the top of the page for every flight.  Maybe you should make a template flight paper (or is there one you can find?).
  * Write the winds on the back of your hand so you had the aloft winds at a glance in case of emergency.
  *