PPL1.3 Weather Briefs and Preflight Planning

### Introduction Pilots have a saying: "Better to be on the ground, wishing you were in the air, than in the air, wishing you were on the ground." To avoid making that mistake, a pilot always looks at themself, the airplane, the weather conditions, and other external factors before taking to the air. A flight close to the airport (practicing takeoffs, landings, and maneuvers) doesn't require as much analysis as a decision to travel to another airport. In this lesson we'll cover all the factors a pilot must consider when making a flight close to their home airport. Later ([[PPL4.5 Advanced Weather Briefs and Preflight Planning|PPL4.5]]) we'll cover the additional considerations for a cross-country flight. **Pre-Lesson Reading/Homework:** [[~ PPL Pre-Lesson Reading]] **Builds On:** [[PPL1.1 Aircraft Preflight, Taxiing, and Postflight Procedures]] **Schedule:** Ground 3.0 hr ### Lesson Elements > [!summary]- Expectations on Weather Briefs During Training > Plan to get a weather brief before each flight. > > Early in training, we'll discuss each lesson's go/no-go decision. Please message what you're seeing and if we could fly. That said, go/no-go will primarily be a [[CFI]] decision at this point, while you're developing weather [[ADM]]. > > Closer to solo, the go/no-go is more nuanced. Would you fly if you were going solo? What about flying with an instructor on board? > > As we start cross-country, more of the PIC responsibility moves to you for go/no-go. I'll push back if it's a good day to practice something in particular, but increasingly the decision to fly is yours. > > Nearing checkride, the go/no-go decision is completely yours. I'll make suggestions if there's a specific reason for learning, but generally, as long as it's safe and legal, we'll fly if you decide to.^[These flights are sometimes the most eye-opening, as going when there's an [[AIRMET]] Tango at altitude may be safe but miserable.] > [!quote] > ![[A Superior Pilot#^quote]] #### Preflight - [[PAVE]] The PAVE checklist is pretty much the most fundamental checklist we use as pilots to determine if a flight is a go or a no-go. It covers not just the airplane's airworthiness, but also the condition of the pilot, the weather, and any other factors that could affect the flight. In future lessons, we will add more bullets to each section, but we'll continue to use this framework. **Pilot** 1. [[IMSAFE]] checklist 2. Government ID, pilot license, and medical certificate - in possession ([[FAR 61.3 Reqs for Certs, Ratings, Etc]]) 3. Currency for carrying passengers (day or night) - met ([[FAR 61.57 Recent Flight Experience]]) **Aircraft** 1. [[PPL1.1 Aircraft Preflight, Taxiing, and Postflight Procedures]] 2. Introduction to Weight & Balance **enVironment** 1. Weather, airspace/[[TFR]]s, terrain, etc 2. Listen to [[ATIS]] 3. [[All Available Information Concerning That Flight]] (most of the lesson is spent on this subpage) **External Pressures** 1. [[Personal Minimums]] met 2. Early expectation setting with passengers, having backup plans, etc 3. Bottom line: Don't let yourself be rushed; Don't go if something's not right > [!note] > If we want to peek ahead, the 'PAVE' checklist above is a simplified version of the [[Complete VFR Preflight Checklist]] ### Completion Standards Learner completes first pre-flight briefing, and is able to complete a briefing for all future flights. ### Resources - [[POH]]/[[AFM]] - [[AC 91-92]] - [[Aviation Weather Handbook]] - [metar-taf.com](https://metar-taf.com/) ### Required Homework - [ ] Start using [1800wxbrief.com](https://www.1800wxbrief.com) for pre-flight briefings before every lesson ### Recommended Homework None *Return to [[~ PPL Lesson Plan Outline|Table of Contents]]^*