AOPA Pilot Magazine - September 2022 - 84

RUDDER & WRENCH
SWITCH
AND
SAVE
Tracking proficiency /
Are you kidding me? I'm in a Cessna
172 at a mountain backcountry strip,
surrounded by trees, at an altitude of
what?! Never mind that my last honest-togoodness
soft-field takeoff was in 1985;
this isn't looking pretty. And I mean that
literally: I'm unimpressed with the quality
of the graphics. They are circa 1985, too.
Plus, on the single screen of the Redbird
Jay Velocity, to look sideways, I have to
take my hand off the throttle and click a
button on the right side of the yoke.
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But I throttle up anyway, bounce down
the field and somehow avoid embedding
myself in the low-res trees. Now I'm in
a very steep canyon, pegged to VX, and
I'm starting to get sucked in. The low-res
virtual world fades as my pilot senses
take over. My pulse jumps a beat and my
palms get sweaty? Really?
I'm test-flying Redbird Pro, a
personalized proficiency training app,
which blends knowledge tests, an article
feed, quizzes, and simulator flying
challenges. Every time you use the app,
it tracks and measures your progress
and gives you an evolving " Pro Score. "
It's a smart app, adjusting to your
personal proficiency and suggesting
what you should work on next. And it's
designed to count more than just virtual
work; soon the app will also count your
real-world flying and training events
when linked to CloudAhoy, ForeFlight,
or PilotPartner. The goal of the Redbird
team in developing Pro is to make
becoming a better pilot so easy-and
frankly so fun-that pilots will make it
part of their daily routine.
*Certain points and purchase restrictions apply; see full Rewards
Terms and Conditions for full details at AOPA.org/creditcard.
1 Rewards points can be redeemed for Cash Back or other items provided
through AOPA Pilot Rewards. A Cash Back redemption is applied
as a statement credit. The statement credit will reduce your balance
but you are still required to make at least your minimum payment. A
minimum of 2,500 points is needed to redeem for Cash Back. Values
for non-cash back redemption items such as merchandise, gift cards
and travel may vary.
And while the curated reading list is
excellent, the real meat of the app is, of
course, the sim scenarios. Each includes
an overview by a CFI, with a short
video introduction; a description of the
flight, which includes " keys to success " ;
reference material; and checklists if
appropriate. There are both visual and
instrument scenarios on a range of topics
from stick and rudder to aeronautical
decision making, navigation, regulations,
communications, weather, emergencies,
and more.
Some are scenarios you really wouldn't
want to practice in the real world, even
if you could. Like, say the Snapped
Cable scenario or the Asymmetric Flap
Extension on Landing. But it's nice to
know you are ready, should the worst
happen. Or maybe you want to save
some money and build proficiency with
everyday skills, like practicing a circle to
land, or flying the LAX VFR corridor.
The app also includes basic skill sim
exercises such as crosswind landings,
stalls, steep turns, and more. Most of the
sim sessions are quick, a quarter to half
an hour or so, so you can fit them into
your day easily, and the app is designed
to provide a personalized debrief based
on your flying of the skill on the sim.
Loading either a skill practice or a
scenario from the app into a sim is a
simple matter of a few button presses
in the vicinity of a Redbird, which is the
only negative to the app: You can't fly the
exercises on other brands of sims, or on
home desktop sims.
Redbird Pro is $19.99 a month for the
Instrument Pilot version, or $15.99 for
the Visual Pilot version. Depending on
where you fly, that's about the cost of two
gallons of avgas per month, which makes it
cheap proficiency, as well as cheap access
to some of the best CFIs in the nation,
including AOPA's Richard McSpadden.
The app stays current while keeping you
current, with fresh content and scenarios
coming in each month. Checking my
stream just now, I see that a Wind Shear
on Approach scenario just popped in.
Where's the nearest sim? I can't wait to
try this one out. -WED
84
AOPA PILOT / September 2022
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AOPA Pilot Magazine - September 2022

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