Staying Ahead of the Aircraft

[YhandisH]

The phrase is generally vague, but it's a wonderful concept that separates good pilots from great pilots. It can be interpreted a few different ways, but how I've thought about it is, "Think about where you're aircraft is going to be in the next 30, 40, or 50 seconds." When I was in flight school, there were moments in my lessons when we'd be on our way to a different airport or location, and I'd take the time to look out the window and enjoy the view. I'd look at the clouds, how far out the horizon was, and maybe get curious about some warehouse off in the distance near a river. "Do they make boats? Is that why they're near a river? Or is it because of some sort of regulation that requires them to stay away from residential areas? It could be because of logistics." And then, my flight instructor would break the thought process with, "Yo, are you planning on violating airspace?" I'd check the GPS, and we'd be fast approaching airspace we're not even tuned to. Then he mentioned, "You can't fly 'fat, dumb, and happy.' You always have to stay ahead of the aircraft." I figured being good at controlling the aircraft was enough, but it wasn't until IFR ground school that I realized how much work it took to stay ahead of the aircraft. 

So, I made this video showing how I fell behind my aircraft and how I caught up to it. To be clear, this isn't a "how to fly a CASE I pattern" video; it's a "how to stay ahead of your aircraft" video. At least, the way I interpreted it.