Beating the Winter Flying Blues: The Upside to Cold Weather Downtime

By Stephen Pradarelli

There’s a scene in Star Wars: A New Hope where Luke Skywalker is flying his X-wing inside a narrow trench on the surface of the planet-killing Death Star. 

As he lines up to fire his proton torpedoes into a thermal exhaust port to trigger an explosion, his wingtips come perilously close to the walls of the canyon. Under fire from Darth Vader, he finally succeeds when Hans Solo’s Millennium Falcon swoops in and sends the heavy-breathing villain’s TIE fighter into a tailspin. 

I’m no Jedi, and no one would ever confuse a 1969 Cessna 172K for an X-wing. But my home airport is in the middle of the Midwest, and winter weather can make the already smallish, 25-foot-wide runway even smaller.

While thunderstorms are the bugaboo of summer flying, winter presents its own unique challenges that are likely unique to the geography you inhabit.

Not only does snow render the 1400-foot turf extension of the 2600-foot paved runway useless. During harsh winters, the plowed, towering snowbanks flanking the asphalt portion of the strip can feel as claustrophobic as the walls of the Death Star canyon. They leave a small margin for pilot error, and squirrelly crosswinds, or an ill-timed sneeze, could lead to a dramatic pirouette on landing or rollout.

Winter presents particular challenges that can discourage pilots from venturing out to the airport, especially students and newer pilots. If there isn’t snow, there may be freezing rain or ice. If there aren’t low clouds or temperature inversions, there may be crazy nor'easter winds that exceed your personal limits and the limits of your aircraft. 

Also, let’s face it. Squeezing into (let alone starting) a small airplane when it’s 15 degrees out is about as tempting as pouring a grape SLUSHi down your skivvies. 

And yet…winter presents loads of opportunities to stay sharp, practice skills, and maintain both currency and proficiency until sweet spring arrives in about eleventeen months (seasonal mileage may vary).

Here are 12 ways to stay on top of your flying game while the Snow Miser rules the northern hemisphere of the planet. 

1. Chair fly full flights
   If you can’t get up in the air, sit yourself in a chair and fly a cross-country flight from start to finish: preflight, engine start, taxi, run-up, departure, emergency procedures, approach, landing, shutdown. Call out the checklists and flows along the way. You can even wear your headset; we promise we won’t laugh, though we can’t speak for your spouse or kids.

2. Practice emergency procedures
   You can never rehearse enough for a bad day. Use your downtime to review all of your emergency checklists, from fires and engine failures to icing and alternator problems–especially the ones you hope never happen.

3. Rehearse instrument scans (even if you’re a VFR pilot)
   You can do this from memory, get a poster of your aircraft’s panel (Sporty’s and other places carry them), use a simulator, or get creative with markers and poster board and create a “virtual” cockpit to help retain your muscle memory. 

4. Get up close and personal with the Pilot’s Operating Handbook
   Many pilots have a glancing notion of their aircraft’s systems. Use winter to do a deep dive into your POH or airplane’s flight manual so you really understand how the electrical, pitot-static, fuel, and induction systems work (and what to do when they don’t).

5. Prepare for a new rating or endorsement
   After ambling around in one of our club’s two Skyhawks for a couple of years, I’m getting an itch to earn my complex endorsement so I can fly faster, and further, in our Piper PA28R-180 Arrow. Whether hankering to earn an instrument or multi-engine rating, or get checked out in a tailwheel airplane, the cold months present a rich opportunity to read up on the goal-aircraft’s POH, or begin studying for your new rating. 

6. Revisit weather theory with winter emphasis
   While thunderstorms are the bugaboo of summer flying, winter presents its own challenges that are likely unique to the geography you inhabit. Because knowledge is power, use your downtime to read up on (or refresh your memory about) the different kinds of icing, freezing levels, how to file or read a PIREP, and whether and how to approach areas prone to lake-effect snow and mountain waves. 

7. Do “what-if” scenario planning
   Beyond emergencies, flying presents a range of potential challenges that are perfect for “rehearsing” on the ground. Write out a list of the “what ifs” that keep you up at night and think through how you should respond to them. What, for instance, should you do if you’re halfway to your destination and the ceiling suddenly drops, or icing starts building up on the leading edge of your wing? What’s the best course of action if your radio goes out just after you’ve entered Class B or C airspace? 

8. Study accident case reports
   Normal people watch CSI; pilots read NTSB reports. Whether you like your data raw, or follow a particular aviation influencer whose whole genre is opining on aviation accidents, learning how other pilots managed (or mismanaged) a bad day of flying can provide helpful insights into chains of events and decision making that may help you be a better pilot. 

9. Use an FAA-approved simulator
   Not only is flying a simulator less expensive, but it may also qualify as loggable time (up to 20 hours toward an instrument rating). Simulators are a great way to rehearse emergencies, work on approaches, or test your navigation skills, all without freezing your ailerons off. 

10. Practice radio communications
    Given how many pilots suffer from “mic fright,” practicing radio communications with aviation radio simulators like the PlaneEnglish ARSim, listening to LiveATC, or boning up on the Radio Communications Phraseology and Techniques section of the Aeronautical Information Manual are excellent uses of your time on the ground. 

11. Do a winter proficiency flight with a CFI
    Just because winter weather can push your limits, it shouldn’t stop you from flying entirely. Schedule time with an instructor focusing on winter-specific challenges like crosswind and short/soft field takeoffs and landings, and general cold-weather operations. Not only will this help you stay current, but you’ll also feel more confident about getting back up in the air solo. 

12. Attend safety seminars or FAA WINGS events
    These online (and sometimes in-person) training sessions offer helpful winter refreshers and often count toward your flight review. You can find local, in-person workshops and seminars on the FAA’s website.

The Debrief: Just because the temperatures are freezing, there’s no reason your flying needs to be put on ice over the winter months. There are many ways to build up your mind, muscle memory, and flying time until the robins return in the spring. And learning to fly in every season will make you a safer pilot in any season. 

Here are three upcoming opportunities. Email Stephen at spradarelli@gmail.com if you’re willing to be contacted. 

The Call I’ll Never Forget: Communication Cautionary Tale: Whether you’re just starting training as a pilot, have flown for years, or work in Air Traffic Control, we’d love to hear your personal story of communications gone wrong, how the problem was fixed (if at all), and what lessons you took away from the experience. 

Tower Talk 101: What Controllers Wish Pilots Would Stop Doing: This one is for the people working day and night to keep pilots and passengers safe in the air and on the ground. We want to hear from ATC staff (current or retired) about the bad communication habits that make their jobs more difficult, the skies less safe, or that are simply annoying. 

Why Staying Sharp on the Mic Is Part of Staying Current and Proficient: For some people, currency training focuses on solid takeoffs and landings, emergency procedures, and navigation. But effective—and confident—communication skills are just as important to ensuring safe and successful flights. What modules of the Plane English ARSim have you found are especially helpful to keep on top of your communications game? 

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