Small Aircraft
Flight Crew Flight Instructor; Flight Crew Instrument
Flight Crew Last 90 Days 7; Flight Crew Total 2246; Flight Crew Type 1430
Confusion; Situational Awareness
Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy
Flight Crew Became Reoriented
Airport; Environment - Non Weather Related; Human Factors
A beautiful morning for a solo sightseeing flight. I haven't flown much the past few months because of the pandemic. The flight was to go to a couple of nearby airports for a full stop landing then home to run the airplane but also maintain 90 day currency. Upon arrival at ZZZ winds were calm so any of the two runways would be suitable. Another aircraft was in the pattern for Runway XX so I joined the downwind for XX behind that aircraft. On final I noticed that the runway markings on XX were unreadable from the air; apparently they haven't been maintained for some time. The aircraft ahead of me had rolled to a stop on the runway and I was considering a go-around when they began to move and turned off at a taxiway intersection. I continued the approach and landing which was uneventful. I followed the preceding aircraft down the parallel taxiway and we both stopped with him at the hold short lines and me some distance behind him. The hold short lines are some distance from the actual end of the taxiway for XX because Runway Y starts at that point but does not intersect XX. The aircraft in front of me made his departure radio call then proceeded to taxi to the end of XX and began his takeoff roll. I waited at the hold short lines on the parallel taxiway until he lifted off and then cleared the area visually; made my departure radio call and also taxied to the end of XX and began my takeoff roll. During my takeoff roll I noticed a faint arrow head marking that appeared to be a faded yellow. At that point I realized I had started my takeoff roll on the safety area of a displaced threshold. I have only landed at ZZZ a handful of times in all the years I've been flying and each time it has been on Runway Y which is the primary runway for this airport. In retrospect my lack of preflight planning in regards to familiarizing myself with ALL the runways at this airport and also playing follow the leader with the aircraft ahead of me lead me in to a false sense of security. The factors of this event are as follows. Virtually unreadable runway markings. My poor preflight planning; just doing what the airplane was doing in front of me without thinking for myself resulting in poor situational awareness. My concentration on the aircraft ahead of me during the landing and poor runway marking visibility causing me to not see the displaced threshold upon landing. (Again; this would not have been an issue had I better familiarized myself with this runway during preflight planning.) My original plan was to use Runway ZZ but adjusted at the last minute because of other traffic. Lesson learned! Make sure you are familiar with ALL the runways at your destination in all aspects not just runway length.
GA pilot reported; after not flying in the last several months due to COVID-19; unintentionally landed and departed on a Displaced Threshold at the destination airport. Pilot reported rusty preflight procedures; runway markings that have not been maintained and are difficult to see contributed to the event.