Ongoing Proficiency Training

[MtPJimB]

Does anyone have a good weekly/monthly type proficiency training schedule that you use to make sure you are getting the right kind of practice in regularly. Things like working on stalls, power off landings, steep turns, short/soft field take offs and landings, etc?

 

[James331]

Weekly recurrent? Little much eh?

 

[MtPJimB]

So nothing to offer except snark, huh? I don't imagine that if I'm going up every week there is anything wrong with me also being intentionally focused on one or two aspects of maintaining good piloting skills.

 

[LDJones]

So nothing to offer except snark, huh? I don't imagine that if I'm going up every week there is anything wrong with me also being intentionally focused on one or two aspects of maintaining good piloting skills.

It's a form of "Forum-itis"...incurable in some.

As for your original question, I'd simply look at the PTS and from time to time and think about the things you HAVEN'T done in awhile and set aside a few minutes to practice those things less frequently performed. Frequency will be a function of your comfort level and proficiency with any particular maneuver.

And I commend you for being proactive thinking about maintaining proficiency.

 

[Sam D]

There was an article a while ago in IFR magazine where the author had worked up a schedule for IFR currency. But I don't recall anything for VFR. Maybe make your own based on what rusts over first!

 

[frfly172]

Set up a schedule of procedures you are weak in. Go out and practice them,also if you do not feel confident in a certain procedure ,bring along an instructor. The more you fly the better you get. I try to fly twice a week.

 

[Dead Stick]

Set up a schedule of procedures you are weak in. Go out and practice them,also if you do not feel confident in a certain procedure ,bring along an instructor. The more you fly the better you get. I try to fly twice a week.

My old piano teacher told me that practice doesn't make perfect, perfect practice makes perfect. Practicing poor techniques and procedures only reinforces them. If it's been a while since you've flown with a CFI, go grab one and go up and look for the areas where you are rusty. Periodically getting a fresh set of eyeballs on your technique may result in ideas and suggestions that could really help. Proficiency and currency are not synonymous. All of us are subject to having bad habit and poor techniques creep unnoticed into our personal flying styles and SOPs. The pros have to go through it every 6 to 12 months. There's a reason for that requirement. They're not exempt from bad habits creeping into their flying styles either. A simple flight review with a CFI every couple of years probably isn't sufficient for most of us.

 

[OkieAviator]

I don't have a schedule but I try to work something into every flight. This includes instrument procedures as well as performance take offs and landings. For soft fields I try to hit an actual grass strip, plenty of those around me. Only thing I don't do with any frequency are power on stalls, mainly because it feels like abuse to put my STOL plane into a 20 degree pitch at full throttle for the 3 mins it takes to stall out, and then the stall is very docile.

 

[Jimmy cooper]

Probably wise to take a good CFI out once every three months for an hour or two to keep you sharp.repeating old mistakes alone isn't productive. Stalls, unusual attitude recovery, pattern work, etc. Can't hurt and should help. The CFI you take is the key. Preferably one with high time and a good back ground, ex military pilot would be good.

 

[Fuz16]

Sam could you elaborate on this IFR currency schedule. I would love to see that article. Thanks.

"There was an article a while ago in IFR magazine where the author had worked up a schedule for IFR currency. But I don't recall anything for VFR. Maybe make your own based on what rusts over first!"

 

[Brad Z]

Does anyone have a good weekly/monthly type proficiency training schedule that you use to make sure you are getting the right kind of practice in regularly. Things like working on stalls, power off landings, steep turns, short/soft field take offs and landings, etc?

Yep, all of that. I would work straight from the PTS, and put together a schedule:

Takeoffs/Landings/Go Arounds-normal, short field soft field; full flaps, partial flaps, no flaps.

Ground Reference maneuvers-S turns, turns around a point

Steep Turns

Slow flight (various configurations)
Stalls-power on, power off, turning

and if you have a CFI or safety pilot with you, do some hoodwork

Weekly recurrent? Little much eh?

No, not if he has the time and money. No one ever got worse flying more.