One of the more difficult aspects of pilot training is starting back after a lengthy break.  If you have ever had to take two or more weeks away from your training, in an otherwise consistent schedule, you have experienced the “rust”.  “Rust” is the term that pilots use to describe the degradation in flying skills when you haven’t flown in a while.  Rust can be noticeable in as little as a few days while you are early in the training process, or maybe not noticeable for a few weeks once you are a more experienced aviator.

Small amounts of rust will be shaken after a single flight , assuming your hiatus is relatively short. But what should you do if your break in training was longer? Maybe a year or more?

Step 1 – Create a plan

Once you have decided on your flight school and instructor, you need to set a plan in motion that covers knowledge assessment, remedial flight skills, and a syllabus to your end goal – probably checkride.  With a qualified instructor as your mentor, you should first begin with a knowledge assessment and study plan.  Take advantage of a ground lesson with your instructor and review the major items of your flying knowledge up to where you left off. And place particular emphasis on the last few topics before you took your break.

Many students mistakenly assume to start back at the beginning with the idea that the knowledge gained earliest is the oldest and therefore, most rusty. What that theory does not account for is the law of repetition.  Although the knowledge gained first dates farthest back in time, it was also the knowledge repeated most often and used frequently during your flight training. This early knowledge was also less complex.   Instead, start with the more recent topics which will also have the most impact on your next flight since knowledge generally precedes the flying skills.

Once you know where your knowledge stands and have created a study plan to get back into the swing of things, you can shift your focus to flying skills and “muscle memory”.  “Muscle memory” is the term we use that explains how you know what to do with your hands and feet without even having to think about it.  Although flying is never without thought, certain actions come as second nature when you are current and proficient as a pilot. This skill set must be sharpened before you can begin to work on more complex items like maneuvers and landings.

Keep in mind the first flight or two after coming off of a break is not going to bring you back to the point where you left off. But you should expect to have an accurate assessment of what will be needed to get you back to that point. As with any success, it’s difficult to accomplish a goal without a plan to execute.

With your study plan in place, and firm skill assessment, you and your instructor can formalize a plan or syllabus to pave the way to the goal of completing your certificate.  This plan should be documented and contain specific objectives so both you and your instructor can monitor progress and make adjustments when needed.  The absence of a plan and no meaningful way to measure progress is often the source of students feeling as if no progress is being made. This can also be a contributing factor to losing the motivation and passion to complete your goal.

Step 2 – Follow the plan

Now that you have all of your goals and methods in place to achieve those goals, it’s time to implement the strategy.  It would be a disservice to suggest that everything was going to work out as planned, but there are additional steps to minimize set-backs and veering off course.

First, set aside the necessary time in your schedule.  Don’t just show up to your lessons and expect the magic to happen, or wait for your instructor to spoon-feed information.  If you create a schedule for your self-study the same way that you schedule time for your flight lesson, you will be well on your way to success.  Lesson preparedness will save you money during your flight training.

Next, set a consistent schedule with your instructor.  Maintaining a steady flight training schedule of at least two lessons per week is great plan to experiencing measured success week after week.  When your training is more sporadic, it’s difficult, if not impossible, to develop routines and the necessary muscle memory.  Frequency is obviously important to success in flight training, but consistency and predictability in your schedule are also very important factors not to be overlooked.  If you have to cancel a lesson due to weather or other conflicts, try to reschedule a makeup lesson as soon as possible.

Last, keep track of your progress on your plan.  Creating a detailed road map to completion of your certificate is only an effective tool if you keep that record current.  Your records should show progress of lessons, individual notes on lesson performance, and items to improve for the next lesson.  Documenting those observations allows you and your instructor to maintain the same progress plan for your training and ensure that you don’t get side tracked.  Using that plan at home helps you continue to reinforce your plan and keep your preparation relevant to the items currently experiencing difficulties.  The added benefit of keeping your own copy of these records is to gain confidence from your previous success when you feel like nothing is going right in your lessons.

Enjoy

After many months of diligent work, you have succeeded in obtaining your new certificate or rating.  Now what?  Your new license is not the end of your training and enjoyment; it is the beginning.  There is a common expression in aviation that your license is merely a “license to learn”.  No statement could be truer, but not to worry.  You will not be practicing slow flight and stalls for the rest of your flying days.  There are many great activities to do with your certificate, which is ultimately why you got into flying in the first place.  Each time you fly you gain valuable experience and experience is the root of learning.

For those of us not flying in sunny, warm climates all year round, the winter flying season may involve anything but…“flying”.  Cold, colorless days seem to drag on with no end in sight.  Instead of accepting defeat or allowing weeks to pass without opening the hangar door, let’s get creative.  There’s plenty to do NOW to beat the winter flying blues.

1)      Home simulator flying – Before you check out over not having a home “simulator,” let me first say your device doesn’t have to be elaborate, expensive, sophisticated, etc. because even the simplest of devices can be productive. But a plan for the use of simulation is a must. A simple list of tasks, maneuvers, or even complete lessons from your current syllabus will create a valuable to-do list when those no-fly days linger for weeks. Develop a menu of training tasks with your instructor to create powerful learning experiences.  The right amount of structure and oversight will ensure you don’t develop bad habits.

2)      Video training – The availability of quality video-based training can put you on the flight deck to examine maneuvers, practice landings and even rehearse emergency or abnormal procedures. Yes, it’s not quite the same as the real thing, but again, we’re talking about the next best option when you’re not able to make the flight. A comprehensive video-based course will keep you focused on the task at hand and working toward that written test and practical exam. You’ll be that much more prepared for the next flight scheduled.

3)      Chair flying – Many of the instructors I respect most and owe such gratitude toward for helping me through to my goal of becoming a pilot would preach the value of “chair flying.” It’s just as the name would suggest, you quite literally sit in a chair and visual the space in front of you as the flight deck. You may even consider a flight deck poster to enhance the experience. From there, you can move through engine start, taxi, before takeoff checks and beyond to reinforce your flows and confidence.

Also in the “chair flying” environment, you have the opportunity to rehearse abnormal procedures.  Read the wonderfully insightful section of your POH that includes an expanded discussion of abnormal and emergency procedures.  On your next chair flying session, review the table of contents for the emergency section and select an event you haven’t practiced.  Follow the checklist for that item and understand the “why” behind it.  This exercise will not only prepare you for real-time abnormals, but will ensure a better understanding of your aircraft’s systems.

4)      Seminars/webinars/periodicals – Learning doesn’t have to stop just because you may not have access to an airplane. If you don’t have an account at FAASafety.gov, sign-up now – it’s free. Here you’ll learn about many free, in-person seminars and other learning opportunities to help you grow as an aviator. The same enriching activites may also be available in the form of online webinars or through the various aviation publications. Most major aviation publications offer online newletters or electronic additions in addition to a print publication. And there are a number of online journals worth investigating. You may even find some ways to participate in a meaningful aviation discussion.

5)      Finally, fly. Yes, there could be flying opportunities that, while outside of your qualifications, may be enlightening, educational and fun with an instructor. There’s nothing better for proficiency than to fly more and visit new places. Take the opportunity to perhaps log some actual instrument or venture out for some crosswind landings.

And since those flyable days are fewer and farther between, consider some added flexibility for you flying schedule. When the sun is shining, make it a point to get to the airport and connect with your instructor for some of that elusive stick time.

Do you fly the airplane, or is your checklist really the PIC?

It may sound funny, but an awful lot of pilots are slaves to their checklists, blindly following them as if it’s a set of assembly instructions for a piece of furniture. If the checklist said, “Airplane – Crash Into Ground,” some pilots might follow those directions right to the ground. You can and should do better.

Let’s be clear: there’s nothing wrong with checklists. On the contrary, they are a critical part of safe flying, and even airline pilots with 25,000 hours still religiously follow one on every flight. In fact, pilots’ checklist obsession is starting to be copied by other professions. An influential book, The Checklist Manifesto, argues that checklist discipline can improve safety and efficiency in fields as diverse as banking and medicine.

While checklists are important, it’s critical that you use them the right way: as a check or a backstop against error. It is not a “do list” where you read, then do, then verify. This approach makes you an unthinking computer, instead of an airman with critical thinking skills and context. So next time you’re running a checklist, think–don’t just do.

But that’s just a start. I think there’s an even better way to use checklists: the flow check.

Printed checklists are a good way to stay disciplined, but sometimes they can get in the way. You may get overloaded because of weather, Air Traffic Control, passengers or some mechanical anomaly. At these moments, it’s important to be able to think about your airplane and understand the big picture. That’s why I like flow checks so much; you think about every system in the airplane, but in an organized way.

Start at the left side of the panel and work your way all the way across to the right side, pausing on each switch or gauge to think about what it does and which way it should be set. Check the engine gauges: everything green? Check all the light switches: where they should be? How about the GPS and radios: are they set up properly?

I like to do this after leveling out in cruise, when I have plenty of time to move deliberately. It’s a great way to double check my previous checklist usage and make sure nothing was overlooked. I also do a flow check after shutdown, right before I leave the airplane for the day. It can take 10 minutes or 30 seconds, depending on your airplane and your experience.

What’s so helpful about the flow check is that it can be used in almost every airplane, from a J-3 Cub to a King Air. Especially as you transition into more complex airplanes, it’s easy to get confused or overwhelmed by everything that’s new–avionics, controls, instruments and systems. But the principle of the flow check still holds. The single level throttle may be replaced by six levers in a turboprop, but you do the same procedure: pause and make sure each is where it should be.

The left-to-right flow is a great starting point, but you can also make up your own abbreviated flow checks, too. When I used to fly a Cessna 210, I used a “1, 2, 3 check; 1, 2, 3 check” after takeoff. This meant: gear up, flaps up, cowl flaps open (these three handles were close to each other); and throttle reduced, propeller control reduced, mixture leaned (these three controls were all in a row). If those six things were done, the rest could wait. This easy-to-remember flow saved me more than once in busy airspace, because it was quick and intuitive.

Beyond using flow checks as an everyday procedure, they also make a great training exercise. Sitting in the cockpit–even with the engine off–and going over every part of it in a disciplined way is an excellent way to learn the systems and the layout of the switches.

It’s also a good opportunity to practice your emergency procedures. As you check the ammeter, consider what you would do if it showed a discharge. How about an overcharge situation? This type of “what if” planning isn’t paranoid, it’s safe flying.

Just remember that flow checks are a complement, not a replacement, for printed checklists. Regardless, they can be a great addition to your flying tool kit. More than anything, they keep your head in the game.

So next time you’re droning along with nothing to do, perform a quick flow check. You may catch a mistake, but you’re almost guaranteed to learn something.