Flying Tips:
Knowing to plan your flight is essential but they are things that are not mentioned in text books that you’ll to know in order to avoid making mistakes.
Fill your navigation log with all accurate calculations and I advise you verify them with skyvextor.com website
Then check the weather with FAA gov website
Then make your weight balance calculations take off & landing roll distances based on pressure altitude & density altitude at departure and destination airport also verify this with either ForeFlight or garmin pilot app.
Prior to take off get the ATIS and call the control tower: “ Hayward ground Cessna N6697G with information Lima request flight following to Modesto” do not give your location as you’d like to take notes therefore you’re not ready to taxi yet.
The tower will respond: “Cessna N6697G Hayward ground contact NorCal departure 125.35 squeak 4670”
You take notes then you say: “Hayward ground Cessna N6697G (your location) at the green ramp with info Lima request taxi for take off runway 28L”
Tower respond: “Cessna 97G taxi 28L via alpha”
Then you follow your checklist for engine run up etc.
Then you contact the tower: “Hayward tower Cessna N6697G holding short runway 28L at alpha requesting a right crosswind departure” or straight out departure or a left crosswind departure according to your headings
Tower respond: “Cessna N6697G right crosswind departure approved clear for takeoff runway 28L at alpha”
Pilot: “clear for takeoff runway 28L at alpha for 97G”
Check runway make sure it’s the right one, check that no one else is landing and adjust your heading indicator with your compass then camera (transponder code on alt) – light (all landing & nav light on) – action (mixture full) then full throttle rotate at 60knots.
300 feet in the air take your right turn.
Know the difference between AWOS – ASOS – ATIS
ASOS: Automated Surface Observation System – Automated machine from the National Weather Service that provides current weather information and does no broadcast info regarding runways, airport or NOTAMs.
AWOS: Automated Weather Observation System – similar to the ASOS but from airport or state it provides the same info and could potentially broadcast NOTAMs for the new ones
ATIS: Automated Terminal Information System – usually found at towered airports and is a recording broadcasting winds direction & velocity, altimeter settings, and relevant weather & airport info, pertinent NOTAMs.
Flight Planning Tips:
Understand Temperature & Dew point significance
Understand Pressure Altitude & How to calculate
Understand Density Altitude & How to calculate
Calculate Plane Performance & Distances