BODY

Every morning when you get ready to prepare yourself to be at the airport, for a wonderful day of soaring, GO & CHECK YOURSELF.

Go through the I.M.S.A.F.E checklist:

The “IM SAFE” card is a personal checklist that ensures the following statement is valid: I’m physically and mentally safe to fly, not being impaired by:

Illness. Even a minor illness suffered in day-to-day living can seriously degrade performance of many piloting tasks vital to safe flight. The safest rule is not to fly while suffering from any illness. If this rule is considered too stringent for a particular illness, the pilot should contact an Aviation Medical Examiner for advice.

Medication. Pilot performance can be seriously degraded by both prescribed and over-the- counter medications, as well as by the medical conditions for which they are taken. The FARs prohibit pilots from performing crew-member duties while using any medication that affects the faculties in any way contrary to safety.

Stress. From everyday living can impair pilot performance, often in very subtle ways. Stress and fatigue (lack of adequate rest) can be an extremely hazardous combination.

Alcohol. Extensive research has provided a number of facts about hazards of alcohol consumption and flying. As little as one ounce of liquor, one bottle of beer, or four ounces of wine can impair flying skills.

Fatigue. Fatigue and lack of adequate sleep continue to be some of the most treacherous hazards to flight safety, as it may not be apparent to a pilot until serious errors are made.

Emotion. The emotions of anger, depression, and anxiety may lead to taking risks that border on self-destruction

WATER

Drink lots of it! When you are “hydrated” you simple function/fly better. You dehydrate faster then you think!!

When flying around the airport, have a bottle of water on board. (16.9 oz. / 500ml.) When flying Cross Country, a minimum of 2 bottles 33.8 oz. / 1L.) is a good start. At that point, some consider using a CamelBak 50 oz. + or similar container to stow away their water. Since you are drinking a lot water, it is a good idea to add some “minerals” & “electrolytes” to it, too. Here is a list of them: Trace Minerals, Emergen-C, Gatorade

and many others. Search online to find your preferred choice of beverage. But remember to bring it on board.

FOOD

Always a good idea to have some on board, when flying for longer periods of time. A good foundation of course is, a healthy breakfast to start of your day.

When in the air have some Snack, Nut or Protein bars on board. They don’t take much space in your cockpit and are sure helpful, when your belly starts talking. Especially when landing out. It could take a while, until you get to the next convenient store. Go check out the link on Amazon, the list is huge and everyone has its own choice of flavor they like.