Learn to think better when it matters most
Hoping that an emergency doesn’t happen to you isn’t a strategy. The team at PilotWorkshops created this book to show you just how much control you actually have.
Facing an actual in-flight emergency can be surreal. Sometimes pilots don’t hesitate and immediately fall back on their training. But often, gripped by fear, they’re reluctant to admit that an emergency is actually happening. Instead of addressing the situation, they waste precious time watching it unfold. What’s needed is a way for pilots to mentally practice and build a flexible response to any emergency.
Most books about handling in-flight emergencies focus on procedures. This book is different. In this manual, Pilot Workshops groups the nearly infinite number of emergency situations into 11 general categories, and presents strategies you can use to handle those kinds of emergencies. The goal is to help you build a framework to address each kind of emergency more effectively.
This approach works because successfully resolving an emergency is a process you work through, not purely an exercise in memory recall and action. Memory items, flow patterns and checklists are only parts of the puzzle. You’ll learn the most effective mindset for approaching each type of emergency, no matter what specific actions you need to take (given the airplane you’re flying, your experience, and the exact situation you find yourself in).
A new way to hone your emergency skills
The manual is visually engaging, and structured to build a new way of thinking about emergencies. For each kind of emergency, you’ll learn the action steps to take and the key skills required. Tips and sidebars will expand your knowledge even further.
Example scenarios let you experience different kinds of emergencies. You’ll deepen your understanding of each strategy and the best steps to take. You’ll see similarities that will make variations in the real world easier to handle. By thinking through the example scenarios, you’ll be better prepared to manage your emergency situation to the safest possible outcome.
This manual is not just a rehash of what you’ll find in your POH. It’s meant to supplement the POH and what you already know. You’ll build a framework in which your existing emergency procedures can be even more effective—and the manual provides a template to help you do this. You’ll be better prepared to handle the emergencies you’ve already trained for—as well as ones you’ve never even thought about before.
Check out a sample chapter from the manual
View sample page here
Covers the critical details of managing emergencies
- Power loss down low: total power loss, partial power loss, detecting engine problems, troubleshooting by feel, practicing the push and turnback
- Power loss up high: understanding carb heat, using your EFB to play the "what if" game, configuring for best-glide speed, practice scenarios on every flight
- Fire: engine starting fires, preventing brake fires, safely making a rapid descent, how to evacuate the airplane, properly using a fire extinguisher
- Flight upsets: reacting to wake turbulence, recovering from a graveyard spiral, why it's so important to push, avoiding go-around stalls, preventing overspeeding
- Flight control malfunction: handling elevator troubles, using trim, managing split flaps, how to carefully test controllability, using a simulator to practice
- Non-powerplant systems failure: avoiding confusion after an instrument failure, build a habit of downgrading to a lower level of automation, using "triangles of agreement"
- Unplanned instrument flight: quickly and safely transition to instrument flight, focus on flying straight and level, proper use of autopilots, communicating with ATC, building a solid emergency scan, using "objective decision points"
- Pilot or passenger impairment: mitigating passenger stress, how to interpret CO detector readings, staying hydrated in flight, enlisting ATC to get you help
- Dangerous distractions: distinguish between a distraction and an emergency, dealing with an open door in flight, packing wisely in case your heater fails, using map layers to alleviate distractions near busy Class B airspace
- Landing complication: using the autopilot to help, prevent embarassing gear-up landings, briefing passengers for an abnormal landing, create your own landing checklist, practice no-brake landings to prepare
- Unavoidable crash: use your radio and ELT to get help rolling before you crash, load the cabin to prevent potential injuries, brief your passengers what to do after the crash, ditching tips, how to get protection from seatbelts
Includes Print and Digital Manual
The digital version is available on Sporty’s Pilot Training platform, so you can read it online or on your tablet—alongside all your Sporty’s courses. Powerful reading tools are included, like highlighting, search, and bookmarks. Or download the PDF for easy reading on all your devices, with or without an internet connection.
The print version is ideal for detailed reading or quick reference. Printed in full color on high-quality, durable paper and presented in a 8.5” x 11” spiral-bound format. You might even leave the book in your flight bag!
Digital (PDF)
- Quick and easy download
- Instantly available in Sporty's Pilot Training App
- Looks great on iPad
Printed Manual
- Spiral bound 22 x 28 full color manual
- All the same features of the PDF
