You set these limits to create an additional safety barrier to help decide when to fly, when not to fly, or when to stop flying.

Personal minimums are most commonly associated with weather. Ceiling and visibility personal minimums are good examples, with many pilots choosing higher ceilings and greater visibility than required by legal minimums. And you may also find comfort in having a crosswind personal minimum. That can save a lot of mental anguish when the windsock is tugging at the post. If it’s above your personal crosswind limit, you don’t fly.

See how easy that is?

Pilots who fly more than one kind of airplane often have more than one set of personal minimums adjusted to the capabilities of each airplane, which makes a ton of sense. I’m sure we’d all agree that an open-cockpit Stearman biplane and an IFR-certified Cirrus SF50 Vision Jet equipped with an autopilot probably shouldn’t be operating under the same set of personal minimums, even if flown by the same (exceedingly lucky) pilot.

But don’t limit your minimums to the most basic elements of weather. They should really be more like a personalized version of an airline’s standard operating procedures (SOP). How about a density-altitude personal minimum? Or a runway length- and width personal minimum? Or even an hours-of-sleep personal minimum? And does eight hours bottle-to-throttle make sense to you, or does 10 hours sound better and safer?

I also think we could make a real dent in those fuel exhaustion accidents if all pilots had and adhered to a personal minimum for fuel. This one requires a geographical component that’s not easy to quantify. But take my word for it: There are many parts of the country where fuel sources are few and far between.

So, when crafting your personal minimums, go beyond making personal adjustments limited only to the regulatory weather minimums. Instead, look at it more like making your own rule book—your personal SOP, where personal minimums maximize safety. By establishing a complete set of hard rules on when you fly, when you don’t fly, and when you stop flying, you’ll not only fly more safely but with the hard work done well in advance, you’ll do so with less stress because all you need to do is follow your own rules.

Read more about when and why you might consider adjusting your personal minimums in this Training and Safety Tip.