As pilots and aircraft owners, we cherish the freedom of flight—the ability to soar above the clouds, escape the daily grind, and reach destinations that ground-bound travelers can only dream of. Yet, this privilege comes with profound responsibilities. To keep ourselves and our passengers safe.
Every year, three major holidays account for an increased number of aviation incidents and accidents: Memorial Day weekend, the weekends around the 4th of July, and Labor Day weekend. In fact, many FAA/NTSB inspectors I know would rather be on call for accidents on Christmas or their birthday than on those holidays, because they are more likely to be called out then. They know from experience and data that accident rates climb, leading to more investigations, site visits, and heartbreaking aftermaths. I like to say that our goal should be to “keep our NTSB/FAA folks at home” by flying safely and avoiding preventable mishaps.
Why do these holidays become an increased risk for pilots?
I think a big factor is the pressure we put on ourselves “to go” when we have plans that depend on flying for a holiday weekend getaway. They are long weekends where we may have more time to get away. In most of the country, the weather is better, especially compared to some winter flying season travel with our GA aircraft. And we have made plans with family and friends to celebrate the holidays.
Aviation safety organizations like the FAA and NTSB have long noted this pattern, with data showing that these weekends generate more GA accidents than most other times of the year. This isn’t a mere coincidence; it’s a confluence of factors, including increased air traffic, variable summer weather, and pilots pushing their limits to make holiday plans work.
A Closer Look at Holiday Hazards
Memorial Day kicks off the summer with warmer weather drawing pilots out after spring rains, often leading to rushed preparations. For many pilots, the lower levels of flying activity in the winter may have left our skills rusty.
The Fourth of July brings fireworks displays, patriotic flyovers, and family trips, but also temporary flight restrictions (TFRs) around events, adding complexity. We may want to fly home later in the evening, testing our night proficiency and skills.
Labor Day signals the end of summer, with pilots squeezing in one last getaway, sometimes in fading light or building autumn weather fronts.
Summer holidays transform the aviation landscape in ways that amplify dangers. Long weekends mean more time off, enticing pilots to dust off their logbooks and head to the hangar. But this influx creates a perfect storm of hazards. First, increased traffic: Airports that are sleepy mid-week become hubs of activity. Non-towered airports may see a new barrage of arrivals, especially at unique or good getaway destinations.
Weather always plays a starring role. While winter brings icing and low visibility, summer delivers convective activity—thunderstorms that pop up unexpectedly, especially in the afternoons. Pilots eager for that holiday getaway might depart into marginal conditions, thinking it’s “good enough” to get there, not necessarily weather they would normally “want to fly in.”
Proficiency is a key factor in many incidents and accidents. Otherwise less active pilots, or pilots who fly mostly locally, stretech their proficiency in marginal conditions or over terrain and to airports they are less familiar with. Taxing their real pilot skills.
Currency isn’t just about meeting FAA minimums—it’s about proficiency. And the recency of proficiency matters a lot as well.
A pilot who thinks about “that flight a few years ago when they were comfortable with 15 knots of crosswind,” but had that happen when they were flying 100 hours a year is very different than one who has been busy with work, only flew 15 hours last year, and had their last takeoffs and landings proficiency event in light winds 89 days ago.
We have to be critical of our “current proficiency” when deciding whether a flight is a go or a no-go. Our go/no-go decision factors are always changing and becoming more or less conservative. They should only become less conservative if we have good reasons to think our proficiency is up to the tasks ahead.
The Currency/Proficiency Trap: When Skills Fade
Currency is a bedrock of safe flying, yet it’s often the first casualty of busy lives. FAA regulations require pilots to maintain recent experience. But true proficiency goes beyond checkboxes. After a period of non-flying, reaction times may slow, muscle memory fades, and decision-making suffers.
Summer holidays expose this trap vividly. Many pilots fly less in spring due to unpredictable weather or work demands, then suddenly plan cross-country trips for Memorial Day or July 4th. Without recent practice, they might mishandle gusty winds or forget to lean the mixture properly in hot conditions. Statistics bear this out: Human factors, including lack of recent experience, contribute to a significant portion of GA accidents.
As owners, you might notice this in your own flying or when sharing your aircraft. A rusty pilot is more likely to have a hard landing, stressing the gear, or overlook a pre-flight item.
Consider another potential factor, the physiological side. Fatigue from holiday prep or travel can compound rustiness. Trying to get “on the way” Friday evening after work for that long weekend may be doing so in night conditions or just with an already tired pilot.
Strategies to Stay Safe: Planning, Preparation, Risk Awareness, and Risk Mitigation
The good news? You can mitigate these risks with deliberate strategies. Start with planning ahead. Weeks before a holiday flight, schedule a refresher with a CFI. Even if “technically” you don’t need it. If you don’t want to take a CFI, find a good flying friend who is proficient and have them go flying with you, and be willing to listen to them if they see anything you can work on.
You might even schedule a couple of flight events with a local CFI a couple of weeks ahead, shorter events even, to just keep the rust off and have a couple of flying events ahead of your planned flight. Even a 45-minute to hour-long flight does a lot to get a couple of landings in, work some pattern work, or keep the familiarization with the aircraft systems and avionics fresh in your brain.
Training and proficiency flying isn’t just for newbies. Seasoned pilots benefit too. If you are potentially going to be flying IFR, consider some approaches or a full Instrument Proficiency Check (IPC).
Make sure your proficiency is in the aircraft you will be using on your prospective trip. No offence meant to the pro pilots out there flying airliners or corporate aircraft, but flying hard IFR at night in your Mooney or C182 with no autopilot is a very different thing than doing it with a full flight crew and automation systems to help. Be willing to say I might be very proficient in one sector of flying, but not so much in another. It’s ok to be humble. None of us is a superpilot.
There are some key points to keep in mind for weekend travel commitments. Set limits and stick to them. Set yourself personal minimums, based on a realistic analysis of your current proficiency level, and don’t bend them. You might be able to mitigate risks, but don’t discard managing them.
An example of this might be a desire to leave after work, but you haven’t flown much at night. If the trip gets delayed and it would push your flight into the dark, mitigate the risk by getting a good night’s sleep and flying the next morning, or by flying only partway and grabbing a hotel before it gets dark. Partway there is better than not getting there.
Set weather minimums and be willing to say no-go, go early, or at a different time.
This past November, my wife and I had a bucket-list trip planned to the Bahamas. From Michigan. In the winter. We had planned to leave on the Sunday after Thanksgiving, but as we got closer, the weather forecast looked pretty rough for Saturday and Sunday. So, and we had planned for this, we left two days early, on Friday, and flew from Michigan to Ft. Lauderdale. While we couldn’t get into the place we were staying until Sunday, leaving early let us mitigate the risk of what ended up becoming a pretty darn big snow storm, and we had a great day Saturday hanging out and grabbing some dinner in Ft. Lauderdale together. We planned ahead, had expected limits, and had planned for mitigation options in case the weather wasn’t going to cooperate. We did the same on the way home, leaving a day after our expected return for any commitments in case Michigan weather didn’t let us get home as planned.
If they are available, don’t be afraid to utilize simulators or approved flight training devices to maintain skills without burning fuel. You might even take the opportunity to fly the actual route or approaches you might encounter along your upcoming trip to enhance proficiency.
I can’t say enough how important it is to have alternate plans. If the weather sours, have ground transport ready or reschedule. Set personal minimums higher during holidays—e.g., no departures with ceilings below 3,000 feet. You might even consider saying, “I will only fly if it is VFR” to enhance safety.
Sometimes, Mother Nature gives us that kick when we are down and delivers too many bad weather days in a row to salvage our plans. Or they can’t be shifted. Even if this means eating a couple of nights of non-cancelable lodging, that’s ok compared with the potential alternative. But we all know that it can be a hard decision to make in the moment.
Don’t accept “deviations from normal,” especially when it comes to aircraft maintenance concerns. If things aren’t working properly, don’t try the “it should be OK” approach. Pre-flight thoroughly: Ensure your plane systems are working properly.
Address fatigue and physical health. Don’t compromise this if it is in any question.
Finally, foster a “no-go” culture with your passengers also. Make sure they know when you are flying yourself, it is not always a guaranteed “we will get there.” Help them understand that these are “best laid plans,” and you will do it if it is safe, and it can be fun for sure, but making the flight dangerous isn’t something you are going to do.
Summer holiday flying offers unparalleled joy and opportunities to take advantage of using general aviation travel to make the most of the holidays, but it demands respect for the risks, especially around Memorial Day, Fourth of July, and Labor Day. Plan to manage the risks ahead so you don’t end up being the call the accident investigators know will come in on these holidays. Your insurance company will thank you if your passengers don’t.
Here’s to many more safe holidays in the skies!
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