AOPA Pilot Magazine - September 2020 - 85

P&E PROFICIENCY

FINALLY!

Return to
proficiency

A CARD
FOR PILOTS.

Getting back in the air
B Y D AV E H I R S C H M A N

IT'S FINALLY TIME TO RETURN to the air
after too long on the ground-so let's get
the rust off. Here are some suggestions for
regaining proficiency after a hiatus from
the cockpit.
First, start on the ground by reviewing the pilot's operating handbook of the
airplane you plan to fly, then "chair fly" a
sequence of normal and emergency pro-

maneuvers. You may feel self-conscious,
but alone time in a quiet cockpit can be
extremely helpful at connecting or reconnecting with an airplane. Review and
recommit to memory the boldfaced items
in the checklist until you're satisfied that
you know them cold.
If you're out of practice with the avionics, connect the airplane to ground

Pick the right day for your return to flight.
Good visibility and light winds will make the
process much less stressful.
cedures using the checklists as a guide.
If you've got a desktop flight simulator
or, better yet, access to a flight training
device, spend some time there before
going to the airport.
Consider bringing an instructor or
safety pilot on your first flight or two. But
if you fly by yourself, plan the tasks and
maneuvers you're going to practice ahead
of time. That kind of focus will allow you
to evaluate your progress and get the most
out of your time in the air.
"Plan your flight in advance and put
some real thought into it," said Richard
McSpadden, senior vice president of the
AOPA Air Safety Institute, which recently
developed a Return-to-Flight Proficiency
Plan for pilots returning to the skies.
"You'll get way more out of it that way
than just making things up as you go."
Spend some quiet time alone in the
airplane. Go through the checklists and
physically touch every switch and knob
as if you were starting the engine, taking off, and going through a sequence of

power so you can light up the instrument
panel. Enter a flight plan, modify it, then
practice the sequence of commands you'd
have to enter to divert to another airport.
If you were fortunate enough to
learn to fly early in life, received quality
instruction, and flew intensively afterward, physical flying skills likely were
imprinted so deep in your reptilian brain
that they will never leave you-and brushing up is an easy and enjoyable exercise. If
you learned later in life, flew sporadically,
and learned through rote memorization,
flying skills tend to be fleeting, and you'll
have to work to regain them.
Pick the right day for your return to flight.
Good visibility and light winds will make the
process much less stressful. So will treating
the maneuvers you'll perform as a game.
If the old, familiar steep turns, turns
around a point, S-turns across a road, and
slow flight go well, consider some variations on those themes. We've all seen
hawks point into the wind and hover. Try
to do the same thing with your airplane
aopa.org/pilot AOPA PILOT | 85

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AOPA Pilot Magazine - September 2020

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of AOPA Pilot Magazine - September 2020