Managing Proficiency

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jackdleach

Filing Flight Plan
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Jan 30, 2021
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jackdleach
Hi all, new here, first post.

I'm trying to get perspective on continued proficiency practice. I'm a relatively new pilot (PPL in 2011 followed by an 8-year break, late last year having gotten back into it and got my first flight review).

The other day I stopped into the airport for some scheduled time with an instructor, wanting to do some maneuvers for Wings credits. I don't need to, but generally think it's a good idea to keep the rust from building up and do some things I haven't done in a while - in some cases 10 years or so.

So I'm chatting with a few regulars at the flight school and mentioned I hired the instructor and pull out some printouts of the Wings stuff I want to do, and was generally met with statements such as "you don't need to do that" and "that's really just a replacement for a flight review, you don't have to work on stuff there" and "didn't you just get a flight review a few months ago?" and so on.

Is it just me, or is this somewhat of a cavalier approach to things? Granted, they all have a lot more hours than I do, but I can't help but wonder... I live 5 minutes from the field, have some time and want to go in the sky... why wouldn't I work on some maneuver proficiency and grab a few Wings credits at the same time?

This got me to wondering how many people in GA fall into the "you don't really need to" mindset vs the "I know it's not required, but would prefer to practice anyway" mindset.
 
If you believe it's in your best interest to continue to keep proficient and learn, then by all means do it. Don't let talking to the wrong people set you back.
I'm not too familiar with the Wings program but you could always learn some of the Commercial maneuvers, even if you have no intention of getting the ticket.
You could always get some kind of additional training at say 6 month intervals just to keep sharp. Since you're relatively new to flying, no one can really fault your mindset.
 
Sure, that's fine (and that's my personal take on it anyway). But as an experienced pilot, do you tend to practice various things, just because? Don't you have those days where you say "you know, I have practiced a forced landing or 180 turn back to a runway in a tailwind in a few months, I think I'll go knock a few of those out" just to keep sharp? Or does that kind of stuff generally just fade into the horizon for most as the hours tally up?
 
I can understand a CFI wanting to be supportive and mitigate unnecessary spending for their students, but they should also welcome any requests to practice things just for the sake of practice as well. Maybe he was under the impression that you felt obligated to do these things? Either way, just make it clear you just want to practice for self-improvement, and if he keeps shrugging it off, find another CFI.
 
jackdleach said:
Sure, that's fine (and that's my personal take on it anyway). But as an experienced pilot, do you tend to practice various things, just because? Don't you have those days where you say "you know, I have practiced a forced landing or 180 turn back to a runway in a tailwind in a few months, I think I'll go knock a few of those out" just to keep sharp? Or does that kind of stuff generally just fade into the horizon for most as the hours tally up?
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My situation is somewhat different from most pilots here. I've only flown for work in the past years and I get yearly training for that. I haven't flown any SE planes in quite some time so I don't go out to do anything like what you said. Renting is too expensive, checkout costs on top of renting just to fly for an hour or so just doesn't work for me.

What you propose to do with your additional training is a fine attitude. Most here are probably like that, but as in all walks of life, there are all attitudes, from good to bad.
I've been around for a while in aviation and I have a few ratings, and taught students too.
I'm hoping to get my Champ restoration finished so I can fly that again. That will probable be the only plane I'll ever fly until I retire from aviation.
 
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Just got an insurance thing in the mail, there were checkboxes for "Have you completed a FAASTeam WINGS Knowledge Course in the last 12 months?" and "Any... dual flight training in the last 12 months?", allegedly they will save you 5% apiece.
 
That's a fairly common attitude unfortunately. A lot of guys think flying is like riding a bike, and it sort of is, as long as nothing unexpected happens. That's a big part of the reason ga's safety record is what it is.

You're on the right track, especially when you're new. I was amazed how fast the rust builds when I got my ppl. I try to fly every week; i missed a couple weeks in a row and honestly probably should of had an instructor when I went back up. Now I'm about 2 years and 250 hours, and it doesn't get as bad as fast, but I still try to fly every week, even if it's just a few touch n goes.

My goal is to never have a flight review. Earning a wings phase every year will keep my skills sharp and help with insurance as @GeorgeC just mentioned. Most importantly it might help keep me from being a statistic.
 
Every couple of months I go out and do air work. Lady friend loves to fly but I must tell her she probably won't enjoy this.
 
I do flight review every 6 month, not just go up and do stalls and steep turns, but things I don’t normally do and things that needs work. Customize the flight review per your needs, get some actual IMC or fly in MVFR and gain more experience. I try to fly as much as I can, but at least for me, I have noticed that, if I don’t fly for 3 weeks or so, I feel rusty. So I will go up and get used to flying again before taking up pax. Some people can go months without flying and not get rusty, I am not one of them. When I go months without flying (happened last year), I get a CFI for the first flight. There is always something to learn and enhance your skills. AOPA published a focused flight review sometime back, try that, think it gives you wings credit as well (not sure).

Under normal circumstances I fly twice a week, but last few weeks the wx is not helping
 
Flying is a use-it-or-lose-it skill. Regular flying or instruction is necessary to stay proficient. Dual instruction is not going to make you less safe, and if that's how you want to increase your proficiency, then by all means do it. You certainly don't need input from the peanut gallery. Not everyone has the same access to an airplane or the same learning approach to proficiency.
 
If a private presented to me asking for recurrent flight training after a flight review, I would suggest we work on actual crosswind situations approaching the demonstrated for the aircraft, actual short and soft field work, some actual IMC and simulated emergencies.
 
Hi Jack. Welcome to POA!

As far as your question, I think a lot of CFI's, for some reason, don't like the WINGS program. I can understand, since I was a participant back before the current system, and it seemed much simpler to understand and comply with back then. The current knowledge tasks are broken down into several phases, and the flight portion has an awful lot of verbiage for the tasks that are expected to be completed. When participating in the old system, I was working my way up through the stages and got to Phase 6 before the system was changed. In the new system, I have just a couple of phases completed, and haven't finished one in several years now. I understand the FAA is working to revamp the program. Just my $0.02 worth, but I think the new program turns a lot of folks off, including a lot of CFI's. I can kind of understand "You don't need to do all that stuff."
 
I do practice maneuvers from time to time. Steep turns, power on/off stalls (for some reason power-on stalls still scare me - weird), slow flight, etc. I think it’s good to feel the plane in different attitudes and configurations from time to time since most of my time is cross county flights. I do practice emergencies as well, and brief emergencies on every take off and go- arounds in landings. I think every little bit helps. I do a number of Wings- related courses, some of which are interesting and some of which are merely infomercials for the presenters products. The ones that really chap my a$$ are those that put up their tip jar at the beginning of the webinar and then just read their stuff. Really???
 
Thanks for the replies everyone, appreciate it. Regarding WINGS, I find the program to be clunky and hard to navigate and can understand why some CFIs might have an aversion to the WINGS program itself (but on the other hand, I pay for it and essentially hire them by the hour, so... not all jobs are all fun, right?). That aside, I still think it's good to have a structured program for proficiency, and there's no much in the field for that aside from WINGS (and, I go through a lot of ground stuff and much of it is creditable there, so I have a heavy balance of ground stuff)

WINGS aside, it's interesting to see different people's take on generally proficiency in maneuvers and how often they're practiced.
 
Depends on how much I'm flying. If it's been a while, the 1st thing I do is go out to the practice area and do some slow flight and power off straight and turning stalls. Slow flight and the stalls re-instill the landing sight picture and gets you used to the mushy control response at landing speeds.

On the flip side if I'm flying a lot, nah, I'm good.
 
There are pilots with thousands of hrs and pilots with thousands of the same hr. Which do you think is safer, and which one do you want to be?
 
unsafervguy said:
There are pilots with thousands of hrs and pilots with thousands of the same hr. Which do you think is safer, and which one do you want to be?
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Depends on what one is doing during that one hour. I have plenty of both types of hours.
 
What Greg Said. I have many thousands of hours. But much of that is flying straight and level over the poles, or some other place like the Amazon. On autopilot. In the middle of the night. Does that mean I'm proficient flying a cub onto glaciers on Denali? I think not. I hope that answers your question.
 
jackdleach said:
Sure, that's fine (and that's my personal take on it anyway). But as an experienced pilot, do you tend to practice various things, just because? Don't you have those days where you say "you know, I have practiced a forced landing or 180 turn back to a runway in a tailwind in a few months, I think I'll go knock a few of those out" just to keep sharp? Or does that kind of stuff generally just fade into the horizon for most as the hours tally up?
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I've been flying for 30 years and still practice more than I fly for fun or travel.

No matter how much I fly there are more skills to learn, and relearn.

This is partly because I am never completely satisfied with my performance.

The other part is that in 30 years I have had 4 moments when all that practice, no doubt, saved my life. In two of those cases, also the lives of loved ones.

It's that instantaneous moment when your brain is shocked that things have gone deadly wrong. What you do in that frightening moment may determine the rest of your life, and your loved ones.

That moment may depend on recency of experience. Recency of practice. Of an automatic response because there is no time to contemplate and analyze.

This is my personal experience. I will never stop practicing at least a much as I fly for fun or travel.

Others may never have had one of these moments. I hope they never do.

When I first started flying, in a year and a half, seven people I knew died in five separate airplane crashes. A statistical anomaly, I realized much later. Yet it made it clear to me that flying is a serious business.

Flying is a passion that has brought me great joy. But I never forget that my life may depend on that one moment when there is no time to make a decision, only react.

How I react will depend on how recently i have trained and practiced.
 
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