Understanding Aircraft Energy Management Will Make You A Better And Safer Pilot  As aviators, we are pilots, communicators, navigators, decision makers and we are energy managers we must strive for mastery of our heavier-than-air vehicles by understanding and managing energy in three-dimensions.     In this month s TOM, we will start a two-part look at the fundamentals of aircraft energy - principles, total energy, energy exchange, energy management, and how we use flight controls, including the throttle, to move our craft between different energy states.     Next month, in Part 2, we ll look at applications of our new found knowledge to usual (and not so usual) flight situations and scenarios.    Learning Points:       Proficiency in both fundamental and advanced maneuvers are the result of truly understanding the  energy equation  at any place and time   We must build the competency, via training and proficiency, to effectively coordinate control inputs to achieve and maintain altitude and airspeed targets, and to recover from energy deficit situations