DAY BEFORE
_______________

Plan to get plenty of rest and feel ready to be on top of your game.

Check weather briefly. Satellite and computer forecasts will prompt a decision on whether or not to proceed with planning.

Check out a gas card.

At the airport: Check records for VFR/IFR mainenance and equipment inspections.
	- 100 hour, annual, progressive, and all other required or approved inspections current; Airworthiness Directives and manufacturer Service Bulletins compliant at time of flight according to §91.417.
	- Present in the aircraft according to §91.203 and §91.9: Airworthiness Certificate current and legibly displayed, registration current, and operating handbook (POH) containing current and specific weight and balance data.
	- Instrumentation, equipment, and lights operable and fuses accessible according to §91.205 and POH (see equipment requirements below).
	- IFR:	- VOR equipment to be used in IFR must have checked within the preceding 30 days according to §91.171.
		- Altimeter and pitot/static systems must have checked within the preceding 24 calendar months according to §91.411.
		- Transponder must have checked within the preceding 24 calendar months according to §91.413.
		- Instrumentation and equipment operable according to §91.205 and POH (see equipment requirements below).

Do weight and balance, performance/VNE planning, and navigation log. Input all values that don't rely on current winds and temperature.

Specific to IFR:
	Take plenty of time for an extensive SIDP, STAR, IAP, and low altitude en route chart familiarization session. Utilize IFR preferred routing in A/FD / PCS, planning on vectors or a SIDP to the first en route fix. Off-airway routes require 4 NM lateral clearance to either side of the route centerline, with 1,000' vertical clearance across the width of the corridor, or 2,000' over an area designated as mountainous in part 95. Verify adequate VOR/NBD reception according to signal strength classes for off-airway routes. Determine fixes that define the route of flight; plan to report these and other reporting points compulsory and optional (if the latter is requested).
	(FADWAR: Fuel, Alternate, Delays (ATC), Weather, Aircraft Performance, & Runway Information.)
		[§91.169] An alternate must be filed if: 1. At the ETA and for 1 hour after the ETA, the ceiling will be less than 1,000' above the airport elevation, or less than 400' above the lowest applicable approach minima, whichever is higher, or the visibility will be less than 2 statute miles; 2. If the destination lacks an IAP. The filed alternate must: 1. At the ETA, have a forecasted ceiling of 200' above the minimum for the approach to be flown and visibility of at least 1 statute mile but never less than the minimum approach visibility; 2. Lacking an IAP, ceilings and visibility at the alternate airport must allow for a descent from the MEA, approach, and landing under basic VFR defined in §91.155.

Plan navaid tuning for fixes and VFR/IFR reporting points.

Review the radio scenario. What will you need to say, who will you need to speak with, and how will you say it?

Look up *detailed* airport information. Get personally familiar with the destination, especially if it's a new one. Traffic patterns, frequencies, hours of operation, locations of swaths of Echo airspace used for instrument approaches, noise abatement areas, where the pumps are and what fuel they have available, NOTAMs, etc. (Current NOTAMs: https://pilotweb.nas.faa.gov/distribution/atcscc.html)

Gather equipment in flight bag, including pilot certificate, photo ID, headset, kneeboard, current sectional and A/FD or PCS, pen, watch/timer, flight computer, calculator, sunglasses, all informational papers, documents, other charts, and instrument procedure charts/checklists. For an evening flight, bring a small clip-on flashlight.


DAY OF
_______________

Call ATIS/ASOS stations for basic wind information, get WA & TAFs/METARs from NOAA online, then call the FSS for a full standard briefing. Finish the nav log. All frequencies and airport information should be ready. Organize it. Everything needs to fit in or on the kneeboard.

Prepare and file a flight plan with the FSS at least 30 minutes in advance if necessary.

At the airport: Verify VFR/IFR mainenance and equipment inspections compliance. Preflight the helicopter according to checklists. Preflight yourself with a snack and a trip to the restroom. Hold off on water or coffee/tea for an hour before flight.

Bring equipment and stow as necessary. Don't pack your seat compartment. The cushion's designed to give on impact in Robinsons.

Tune frequencies, dial headings, run up. Copy IFR clearance within 10 minutes of taxi if applicable. IFR instrumentation checks including gyro flags, accuracies, and hover movement if applicable. Get ATIS and takeoff clearance. Landing light on, taxi, go, open VFR flight plan in air if applicable.




	Equipment Requirements
	——————————————————————
	Each set of requirements includes the set before it.


	1. VFR : 'CAMAFOOTS' - Yeti or Wookie?
	   —————————————————
		Compass.
		Altimeter.
		Manifold pressure.
		Airspeed indicator.
		Fuel quantity (each tank).
		Oil pressure.
		Oil temperature.
		Tachometer (engine).
		Safety belt.

	2. POH : 'GROWACCA' - Like Chewbacca, but bigger.
	   ————————————————
		Governor.
		Rotor tachometer.
		OAT.
		Warning lights and buzzers.
		Ammeter.
		Carburetor heat.
		CHT.
		Alternate source (alternator).

	3. Night : 'PALIIS' - Night in Versailles.
	   ————————————————
		Position.
		Anticollision.
		Landing.
		In reach: Spare fuses.
		Instrument illumination.
		Source of energy.

	4. IFR : 'NICARAG' - A real Nicaraguan smokes 'a(n) cigar.'  (Also 'R, N, C! S.S.! G.G.!' - Radio; Nav; Clock; Sensitive altimeter; Slip/skid [inclinometer]; Gyros; Generator/alternator.)
	   ———————————————
		Nav equipment for facilities.
		Inclinometer.
		Clock (hours, minutes, & seconds).
		Altimeter which is sensitive.
		Radio (two way).
		An alternator or other generator.
		Gyros (attitude, directional, rate of turn).