Flight Training - May 2022 - 8

AROUND THE PATCH BY JILL W. TALLMAN
What's scary is that the prospect of
Technical Editor JILL W. TALLMAN
flew just 24.6 hours in 2021 and
is determined to log more time
this year.
jill.tallman@aopa.org
not flying doesn't distress me the way it
once would have. That tells me I need to
get my mojo back-and quick. Here are
some strategies I'm going to take. Feel
free to adapt to your current situation,
and if you have any additional ideas, I
would love to hear from you.
Hang out with pilots-in person if
you can. Hitting " like " on your friends'
" Wingtip Wednesday " Facebook photos
is just not enough to keep you motivated.
Go to the airport. If the weather cooperates,
join the gang outside critiquing
landings. Or, find a local EAA, The Ninety-Nines,
or Women in Aviation chapter
and stop by one of their meetings. You
may get a chance to turn a wrench and
make some new friends in the process.
Plan a trip. It's never too early to
think where you want to go when the
weather warms up or the dang airplane
finally gets back in the air. How about
Sun 'n Fun, or the Triple Tree Aerodrome
Fly-In, or EAA AirVenture, or the Valdez
Fly-In, or the High Sierra Fly-In, or...?
Find a simulator. Practice instruGROUNDED
FOR MONTHS
Every year at about this time it's the same story: It's been cold;
the airplane is down for repairs (usually an annual inspection).
Days without flying turn into weeks without flying, and threaten
to turn into months without flying-and suddenly the thought of
not flying doesn't seem all that unpleasant.
What to do? While you may think it'll never happen to you, thousands of people
stop flying after achieving their hard-earned pilot certificates. Sometimes the cause
is a lack of money to remain proficient. Sometimes it's because family issues or job
schedules take over our lives. In those situations, I like to say that staying on the
ground needn't be forever, and that flying will be there for you when you're ready to
come back to it.
Then there's something that affects me personally and some of you (not you,
Florida and California). I call it midwinter malaise. The days are short. The temperatures
are freezing. It's dark when you get up, and dark when you finish your
daily duties and can reclaim some time for yourself. Add in an airplane down for
maintenance, and you could find yourself grounded for months, as I did in 2020
(see " Around the Patch: Rusty and Dusty, " January/February 2021 Flight Training).
I can see the malaise creeping in on little cat feet again. The Cessna 182 that I
fly has been out of operation since October, getting an overhauled engine installed.
Then, the airplane needed an annual inspection-and our maintenance shop, like
many, struggled to balance a reduced number of mechanics against its customers'
demands to get their airplanes back. Oh, and we also needed a new battery because
the airplane sat for so long while its engine was overhauled.
8
FLIGHT TRAINING MAY 2022
ment procedures or just fly an Airbus
A350 across the Atlantic Ocean to land at
Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport. It's less
expensive than flying an actual airplane
(heck, it's less expensive than flying
commercially). The FAA allows up to 10
hours credit in a basic aviation training
device and up to 20 hours in an advanced
aviation training device when working
toward an instrument rating. Advanced
aviation training devices can be used to
satisfy training for higher-level certification
such as flight instructor, commercial
pilot, and airline transport pilot. Hey,
maybe it's time to get working on that
next certificate or rating.
Fly something new. Just because you
have all your time logged in a Cessna 172
doesn't mean you can't play the field a bit.
Try a low-wing aircraft, or a light sport,
or a retractable gear airplane, or a twin,
or a taildragger. You needn't commit to a
checkout or go for the full endorsement
or rating. And I promise your regular
airplane won't get jealous. Just fly as your
wallet and heart dictate, and see where it
takes you.
That's all the preaching I have for
this choir. Now if you'll excuse me, I have
to make a date with a Cessna 140 and a
brand-new-to-me tailwheel instructor. FT

Flight Training - May 2022

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