How do you find "good" safety pilots

TimRF79

TimRF79

Pre-takeoff checklist
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Dec 10, 2017
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Houston, TX
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Display name:
Tim
Would like to start building my time for IR with hood time.
How do you find good safety pilots?
 
Ask around, if you can find a freight dog or single pilot 135 guy who wants to bomb around that would be ideal
 
Make friends with other pilots. Take them up with you for a $100 hamburger and decide for yourself.
 
You’ll find a one just ask around. I’m lucky my safety pilot knows how to f with me. He flys a lot of IFR and works with my on my radios. Will take notes and review when done then talk to my CFII at a later date. It’s certianly not just a second eye in the sky watching while I do my thing. He helps me think about and work on or getting behind. Always getting ready for the next thing to drop.
 
That was the most challenging part of getting my rating was finding safety pilot time. I finally just sucked it up and paid an instructor for it.
 
Grum.Man said:
That was the most challenging part of getting my rating was finding safety pilot time. I finally just sucked it up and paid an instructor for it.
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You had a hard time finding a safety pilot with your profile pic plane??
 
Grum.Man said:
That was the most challenging part of getting my rating was finding safety pilot time. I finally just sucked it up and paid an instructor for it.
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Hmm... I thought about that option...
 
I assisted a fellow who asked on this very site. I am interested how one defines a "good" safety pilot from a bad one.
 
My initial plan for some safety pilot time was another person doing IR training. That way you both can use each other. But that guy bailed on me!!!
 
James331 said:
You had a hard time finding a safety pilot with your profile pic plane??
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Not really a lack of people wanting to be a safety pilot, just getting everyone's schedule to align and the weather. Plus I wanted a safety pilot with at least a little knowledge of IFR so they could correct any mistakes I might have made.
 
steingar said:
I assisted a fellow who asked on this very site. I am interested how one defines a "good" safety pilot from a bad one.
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That's pretty easy... I had one that I caught focusing on their ipad instead of looking out for traffic.
 
Safety pilots are not CFIIs. Until you are rated I would not try to learn from them. You can learn bad habit later:) Safety pilot means just that, to keep you from hitting something. If you want an instructor, then fly with one.
 
There might be a local FB aviators page for Houston. I've found something similar in KC which has been great for time building and safety pilots.
 
labbadabba said:
There might be a local FB aviators page for Houston. I've found something similar in KC which has been great for time building and safety pilots.
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Yup there is and I asked around, so far with limited result
 
It's a more difficult chore for those of us in the hinterlands. Wasn't much of a problem when I was based at airports with other active pilots. Now, I'm the only one, and it's more difficult . . . .
 
Eaa has a page where you can contact pilots who clicked the box that they would be safety pilots. Give it a go if you are a member.
 
steingar said:
I assisted a fellow who asked on this very site. I am interested how one defines a "good" safety pilot from a bad one.
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A bad one says “sure I’ll do it”, but then is never available when you ask, or sets a date but then cancels always. And so, you lose your currency.
 
If you just need a Safety Pilot to shoot approaches to stay current, I would think just ask around for other IR rated pilots and help each other out. My brother in law and me do that for each other - we just passed the foggles back and forth (yes, one of us flies from the right seat - not a big deal).

When I trained for my IR, however, I never used a Safety Pilot. I always paid my CFI and got invaluable time with him. Learned something every time. We always looked for actual IMC to fly into also. High value time.
 
NoHeat said:
A bad one says “sure I’ll do it”, but then is never available when you ask, or sets a date but then cancels always. And so, you lose your currency.
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sounds like a college aged woman.... squirrel! LOL :D
 
TimRF79 said:
Would like to start building my time for IR with hood time.
How do you find good safety pilots?
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What do you want them to do?

Safety Pilot is watching for traffic and making sure the things you already learned from your CFII don’t put you both upside down.

Never had any trouble finding a pilot who could look out the window for an hour or so and then eat a free lunch somewhere.
 
TimRF79 said:
Would like to start building my time for IR with hood time.
How do you find good safety pilots?
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Too bad you're in Houston and I'm in Denton... else we could set up a schedule to fly just about every day while OAT is still tolerable. I too am building time and enjoy being the right seat lookout.
 
denverpilot said:
What do you want them to do?

Safety Pilot is watching for traffic and making sure the things you already learned from your CFII don’t put you both upside down.

Never had any trouble finding a pilot who could look out the window for an hour or so and then eat a free lunch somewhere.
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Nate, if you were participating on the Red Board, you'd really get a kick out of parts of the recent Safety Pilot thread that happened there.
 
AggieMike88 said:
Nate, if you were participating on the Red Board, you'd really get a kick out of parts of the recent Safety Pilot thread that happened there.
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Not planning to ever participate there. Highlights?

Maybe I don’t want to know. :)
 
denverpilot said:
What do you want them to do?

Safety Pilot is watching for traffic and making sure the things you already learned from your CFII don’t put you both upside down.

Never had any trouble finding a pilot who could look out the window for an hour or so and then eat a free lunch somewhere.
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Exactly what I was thinking. You don’t really want them to try to instruct you, just look for traffic.
IMO the definition of a “good” safety pilot is someone who has good eyesight and knows good scanning techniques.
 
denverpilot said:
What do you want them to do?

Safety Pilot is watching for traffic and making sure the things you already learned from your CFII don’t put you both upside down.

Never had any trouble finding a pilot who could look out the window for an hour or so and then eat a free lunch somewhere.
Click to expand...
Kritchlow said:
Exactly what I was thinking. You don’t really want them to try to instruct you, just look for traffic.
IMO the definition of a “good” safety pilot is someone who has good eyesight and knows good scanning techniques.
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Same here.
 
Find a group of pilots,that no longer own airplanes,take them on breakfast flights,or lunch. Do your IFR stuff coming and going,and shoot some approach’s. Most airports have a local spot where pilots hang out .
 
I went to my own airport's fly-in pancake breakfast and just started asking around...it was the best thing I did, because I learned more with my safety pilot than with my instructor...nothing against my instructor, but my safety pilot had about 5000 hours as just an instrument-rated private pilot, flying the exact same make/model aircraft as mine. Invaluable experience...
 
luvflyin said:
Calls the cops on his safety pilot??? What was it he was accusing the safety pilot of doing?
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Go get your AOPA browser cookie and read the thread to find out.
 
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