TAKING CARE OF THE HUMAN ELEMENT

Personal endurance, decision making, and the GA flyer

FRANK AYERS

As I sat down to write this column, I had just returned from an amazing trip to EAA AirVenture. It was 19.7 hours of single-pilot IFR spread over three days, most of it between 8,000 and 10,000 feet, dodging cumulus buildups. I experienced dense morning fog, afternoon thunderstorms, and made a timely weather divert with the help of incredibly helpful air traffic controllers. Most of my local flying where I live in North Florida occurs in the morning or early evening, well below 5,000 feet, and averages less than an hour and a half per flight. The Oshkosh trip reminded me that a full day in the air takes a toll on the human body and can have a significant impact on a pilot’s ability to make sound decisions. Charles…

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Plane & Pilot (Digital) - 1 Issue, January/February 2025

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