“Getting out of trouble is a whole lot more hassle than staying out of trouble.” – Gary Paulson
General aviation offers pilots the unmatched freedom of the skies, but it also demands focus and self-discipline. Visual Flight Rules (VFR) operations, while seemingly straightforward, can lure even experienced pilots into regulatory deviations or dangerous errors. The most tragic outcomes usually do not stem from a single catastrophic failure, but from a cascade of small missteps – often rooted in fundamental but avoidable mistakes.
This article will explore six common VFR errors: inadequate preflight planning, loss of situational awareness, over-reliance on GPS, poor decision-making, overconfidence, and failure to maintain proficiency. We will unpack some psychology behind the errors, offer a few real-world examples, and outline strategies to help pilots fly smarter and safer.
Pre-flight Planning
A simple piece of advice for pre-flight planning: “Plan your flight and fly your plan.” VFR flights can tempt pilots into casual preparation, or worse, none at all, especially for short or familiar routes. Marginal or “iffy” weather, airports with non-standard patterns or closed runways, dangerous terrain in close proximity to airports, lateral and vertical boundaries of designated airspace, or temporary flight restrictions (TFRs) may go unnoticed until it is too late.
In a 2015 accident near Spokane, WA, a pilot failed to account for mountain obscuration due to unexpected low ceilings. Attempting a VFR route through terrain led to spatial disorientation and a fatal crash.
Pre-flight planning can be both science and art. There are many good tools, such as the Foreflight, Garmin Pilot, and FlyQ apps available at our fingertips, and we have the ability, with experience gained through flying hours, to better understand, assess, and mitigate risks. In addition to flight planning apps and weather apps, most pilots today have avionics in their aircraft displaying weather (for strategic but not tactical purposes), traffic, and airspace. Flight Service briefings are also available if a pilot wants to talk with a weather expert and discuss in detail a planned flight, NOTAMS, or TFRs. More than a reasonably sufficient number of tools are available. Entirely our fault if we fail to use them.
Loss of Situational Awareness
Situational awareness is a mental picture of where you are, what is happening around you, and what is likely to happen next. VFR pilots can fall out of sync with their surroundings due to lack of attention to navigation, distractions, fixation on glass screens, or poor communication skills (both transmitting and receiving).
In the 2009 Hudson River midair collision, the Piper Saratoga pilot was likely preoccupied with traffic avoidance and may have lost track of his proximity to the busy Teterboro and Newark airspace. The resulting loss of vertical separation from a sightseeing helicopter proved fatal.
What habits can we develop to better insulate ourselves from these types of errors?
In addition to the horizon, maintain a continuous scan that includes visual cues, such as airspeed, altitude, heading, and engine instruments. Always remember that you may be sharing the airspace with other aircraft, including some that have neither a radio nor a transponder.
Every so often double-check the directional gyro against the magnetic compass and the altimeter with a nearby known altimeter setting. These are, by themselves, little things, but they can add up to one big thing – keeping you and your passengers safe and on your planned route and altitude.
Regularly verbalize status and position updates (even if only to yourself), such as, “Engine instruments in the green, fuel on left tank at 15 gallons. autopilot on, heading and altitude modes engaged. Heading selected is 300 degrees, heading is 300 degrees. Altitude selected is 6,500 feet, altitude is 6,500 feet. Indicated airspeed is 120 knots. GPS shows we are on course C29 direct to KLSE. We are 37 miles southeast.”
Many flight instructors suggest the use of the “Three C’s Method: Clock, Chart, and Compass.” Periodically note the time elapsed during your flight. Is your flight time consistent with your position along your route? If not, why not? It is always a good idea to correlate what you are seeing on the ground, such as cities, lakes, rivers, major highways, etc., with what your GPS navigator is showing on its screen.
Over-Reliance on GPS
GPS has revolutionized navigation, but it can make pilots into passive “button pushers” rather than thinking, active aviators. Depending too much on a magenta course line only gives you, as pilot in command, the “illusion” of control. When the technology is not used, or it unexpectedly fails, or it delivers inaccurate information, pilots unaccustomed to calculating ground speed, time and distance, sectional chart reading, and landmark, terrain, or obstacle recognition, may quickly become disoriented and unsure of exact position.
A pilot flying a sophisticated turbine single from his home airport to his lake cottage retreat routinely filed IFR for each trip, regardless of actual weather conditions. He flew the same route repeatedly, with the same fixes, and received IFR handling through the same sections of airspace. However, one flight was not routine.
On this occasion, the pilot elected, after looking at a good VFR forecast, that he would make the return flight VFR at a lower altitude to his home airport. He had three GPS navigators onboard, two in the panel and one on a portable tablet. About 25 miles from his home airport, he inadvertently flew through another airport’s Class D airspace without establishing communication with the tower.
How can we avoid simply being a passenger along for the ride in our own airplanes?
First, periodically cross-reference the GPS-indicated course and position with a sectional chart and with visual landmarks you see on the ground.
Second, occasionally make a practice flight using only “dead reckoning” to calculate and fly groundspeed, heading, elapsed time, and distance between two points. Can you still do it? Are you sharp enough? You may need to be if your GPS fails in flight.
Third, stay current on airspace classifications, airspace dimensions, and rules – especially around Class B/C/D airports. Same goes for Special Use Airspace (SUAs) and TFRs.
Poor Decision-Making
Often, pilots do not get into trouble because of what they did not know – instead, they foolishly ignored what they did know. Pushing VFR weather minimums, disregarding personal minimums, skipping checklists, flying without required equipment, departing with a known mechanical discrepancy, ignoring a low fuel indication, or continuing a “get-there-itis” flight despite a nagging instinct to re-assess and make a new plan, are all decisions that fall squarely into the embarrassing but all-too-common category of “What was that pilot thinking?” You do not want to be that pilot.
In a 2020 incident, a VFR-only pilot entered a wide area of IMC near Dallas, Texas after taking off in marginal conditions. The pilot attempted to climb through clouds to “find VFR on top,” became disoriented, and lost control.
Your standard as a VFR pilot should be to plan your flight and fly like a professional. Of course, in GA flying that means you are your own dispatcher, co-pilot, and crew chief, and it is up to you to make sound, reasonable decisions. You will need to identify the risks and determine how best to mitigate them to undertake or continue a safe flight. These are all significant responsibilities, and you do not have a “team” to assist you – only you. Doubly important to think things through.
What do the experts advise? Start with use of the PAVE (Pilot, Aircraft, EnViroment, and External Pressures), IM-SAFE (Illness, Medication, Stress, Alcohol, Fatigue, and Emotion) and DECIDE (Detect, Estimate, Choose, Identify, Do, and Evaluate) models to identify and evaluate personal and flight risks, and work through alternatives.
What mitigation strategies can you employ? Sometimes, the best strategy is to scrub the flight and remain on the ground. You and your airplane are neither a scheduled airline nor an on-demand charter company. No contractual obligations apply. No pressure (other than self-imposed) to compel you to make the flight. As PIC, execute a sound, safe decision, and fly on another, better day.
Develop your personal minimums, including cloud ceilings, visibility, runway lengths, and crosswinds – and religiously stick to them. Personal minimums are not made to be stretched or broken. Of course, over time with proper training and more experience, enhanced skills can allow for growth. Always remember that personal minimums become your promise to yourself to keep you and your passengers safe.
A good learning tool that costs nothing except your time is to debrief every flight to reflect on what you did well and what you would change. Objectively look at the facts of the just-completed flight, examine any issues encountered, and determine how you will need to improve your skills or thought processes. It may include more flying or seeking out more varied experiences, time with a mentor pilot, or time with a flight instructor on the ground or sitting next to you in the air. Your aeronautical decision making should improve with every flight.
Overconfidence
Overconfidence can be a dangerous passenger. As I posted on June 30, 2025, in Midwest Flyer Monthly, “Cautionary Tales: Transitioning to a Different Aircraft,” pilots who master one aircraft or flight environment can underestimate the complexity or risks of a new one. A smooth history of flights in the same make and model may build confidence, but not necessarily competence in every aircraft or in all conditions.
For example, a pilot transitioning from a Piper Archer or Grumman Tiger to a Cirrus SR22 may feel comfortable with a similar cockpit view, but uncomfortable with dissimilar controls (yoke vs sidestick) and systems, airspeeds, avionics, and forget how the Cirrus’s higher performance and glide characteristics affect approach profiles and landings.
What are the mitigation strategies for avoiding trouble? First, regardless of logged hours, embrace a mindset of humility – treat each flight as a new challenge and as an opportunity to learn. Any time you step into a cockpit – any cockpit – never lose respect for the aircraft. If you do not understand how to operate the airplane, or worse, do not care enough to pay close attention, you may end up being one of those pilots who appear in the NTSB reports.
Second, if new to an aircraft, seek transition training, even if not required by regulations or insurance. Whether you only fly one airplane or several, find a competent instructor who knows you and how you fly and plan on periodic or “refresher” training, especially between formal Flight Reviews every two years.
A good exercise when you are not flying that can help challenge your expertise and serve as a counterbalance to overconfidence is to conduct “What if?” scenarios, such as “What if I see a loss of thrust on takeoff?,” “What if I have a total loss of electrical power?”, “What if the landing gear fails to extend?”, or “What if the forecast VFR weather does not match what I am seeing out the window in flight?” Knowing these answers on the ground will better prepare you in the air. Know both the big and small details in your Pilot’s Operating Handbook (POH) and commit your V-speeds to memory.
Not Maintaining Proficiency
The FAA’s minimums are just that – minimums. A pilot flying once every few months may log just enough landings to be legal, but not enough to stay safe and be proficient, especially under challenging conditions like strong crosswinds, short or soft fields, or busy airport traffic environments. Even for weekend pilots, flying should really not be viewed as “part-time.” If you want to become a better and safer pilot, flying means you need to be immersed closer to “full-time,” at least in terms of your attitude, and your willingness to allocate time to read about flying, attend aviation seminars, and engage with a good flight instructor for “refresher” training in between formal flight reviews.
True story. Many years ago, after a pilot group I regularly flew out for breakfast with had returned from the morning mission, we sat around the FBO drinking coffee and talking smart. One pilot brought up a story about a recent Biennial Flight Review (BFR – now known as a “Flight Review”). That prompted additional stories and memories from the group. One of our pilots, who for years owned and piloted a Piper Comanche 250, sat quietly during the discussion and then, towards the end, asked this astounding but sincere question, “What’s a Biennial Flight Review?”
What are the best ways to improve proficiency?
Fly as often as you can. Practice slow flight, stall on-sets and recoveries, steep turns, simulated engine outs, ground-reference maneuvers, short and soft field takeoffs and landings, and unusual or emergency procedures. Even better, schedule multiple rides with a CFI in between Flight Reviews and tell him or her to really make you work at improving your airmanship skills. Simulator training can also be beneficial, but only to practice proper procedures and techniques, and not to reinforce bad habits.
VFR flying in general aviation offers a unique form of personal freedom, but this freedom demands both commitment and responsibility. Common errors like the ones outlined here are preventable with the right mindset: one of continuous learning, self-discipline, humility, and respect for the aircraft and the flying environment.
Ultimately, the safest pilots are not the ones who “get away with it,” – they are the ones who never take safety for granted.
© Copyright Dean Zakos 2025. All Rights Reserved!
