Being well prepared is the key to succesful flying. As many “golden rules”, this one is a bit general. With this post, we’ll see how it applies to flights over two hours. If your usual flights are shorter, there are a couple of additional things to consider before launching yourself in a long flight.

First things first, take care of yourself. Get something to drink, and some food if your flight is planned over your usual lunchtime. Dehydration and hypoglycemia can develop rapidly, and there is no room in a cockpit for their symptoms. But don’t turn your plane into a flying snackbar. Too much food and drinks will also have negative effects. Shall I really advise not to forget a “pit stop” before take-off ?

Longer flights require better fuel management, and consumption tracking. When flying short legs, switching tanks at each stop is fine, but this strategy is not adapted to long flights. Don’t forget there is a maximum allowed fuel imabalance. Switch tanks regularly, and don’t forget to note the appoximate remaining fuel, and time of the change. Doing so, you’ll quickly find out if you’re loosing fuel, or consuming more than expected.

While preparing your flight, remember that you’ll be far away from your homebase. If you’re a rental pilot, make sure to have the phone numbers of the club / school / FBO maintenance guys at hand. Do you know the local procedures for refueling away from home ? Bringing some oil is also a good idea, it’s not always that easy to find in remote places. By the way, do you know which oil grade your plane needs ?

With longer flights, the risk of getting a weather surprise increases. While in cruise, keep informed about weather at your destination. If your plane is not fitted with an XM Weather receiver, you can listen to VOLMET frequencies, or ask flight information centers, or air traffic controllers. Shall a diversion become necessary, you certainly want to know it as soon as possible.

Another possible hazard resulting from longer flights is boredom. This is particularly true when flying IFR, but long VFR segments can also be slightly boring. It’s fine to take a small “mental break” periodically, think of something else, relax your brain, but keep focused on your imoprtant pilot’s tasks. And don’t forget that the more demanding part of the flight comes at the end…

Don’t fall in the time trap. A two hours en-route segment does not means that you can postpone the approach briefing and preparation to the last second. You’ll feel really silly if, after two hours with not a lot to do, you get behind the plane because you did not prepare yourself in a timely manner.

I hope these tips will help you, and if you’ve additional ones, feel free to post a comment. I wish you fun, enriching, and safe long flights…

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