In my position, I talk to all sorts of pilots looking for flight training. The largest group is not Private pilots looking to add an instrument rating, or a brand new student looking to get started in aviation. The largest group is existing pilots who have let their currency lapse – in some cases for many years. Most of the pilots all share one thing in common; they are not sure what it takes to get back to flying.
The largest held misconception about getting back into flying is that you have to take another written exam or another checkride with a Designated Pilot Examiner or the FAA. Others believe that the process will take so long and cost so much that it will be equivalent to learning to fly all over again. For those who might be thinking along those lines, I have great news; the actual requirement is far, far simpler than either of those paths.
All you need to begin flying again is a current Flight Review (every 24 calendar months), recency of experience to carry passengers (if desired) and a current medical certificate.
The Flight Review –
According to FAR 61.56, a flight review consists of a minimum of 1 hour of flight training and 1 hour of ground training. The review must include a review of current general operating and flight rules of FAR Part 91 and a review of those maneuvers and procedures … necessary for the pilot to demonstrate the safe exercise of the privileges of his certificate.
Like all regulations, there is more fine print in the book, along with exceptions for pilots in specific circumstances, but that general paragraph applies to most everyone. As you can see, the Flight Review is not a huge procedure. It simply requires a flight instructor to endorse that you are safe to go flying again. No checkrides. No written exams. No FAA inspectors. Any current CFI that has privileges for your type of flying (Airplane Single Engine Land, Helicopter, Seaplane, etc.) is capable of conducting your Flight Review.
How long your Flight Review will actually last beyond the minimum prescribed time is a function of pilot proficiency and knowledge. There is an old aviation expression about expecting 1 hr of flying for every year of not flying. So if you haven’t flown in 10 years, project 10 hrs to get back in. Although I do not personally subscribe to that formula directly, it is a ballpark that many people use.
Your Flight Review will not be a hazing or tortured experience. The goal of a quality flight instructor conducting a Flight Review is to ensure your safety as a pilot, and to provide a sample review of required knowledge and flight skills. Most instructors will ask about what type of flying you do, what does a typical flight look like, and use these answers to help guide what your review will be focused on.
It doesn’t benefit you or your instructor to spend most of the review focused on ATC communications if you spend all of your time at non-towered airports. Remember that your input is welcome! Pilots should try to highlight areas of flying that they feel need work or haven’t been reviewed in years. Make the Flight Review a great learning experience, not just a regulatory requirement.
Currency Requirements –
According to FAR 61.57, in order to carry passengers you must have completed at least 3 takeoffs and landings within the preceding 90 days. This requirement applies to daytime and will likely be satisfied during the course of your Flight Review. If you are interested in returning to night passenger carrying, remember to conduct those 3 landings at nightto a full stop to meet the night passenger carrying requirements. If you are not planning on taking passengers up immediately, this section does not apply to a pilot flying solo.
Medical –
Unless you are planning to return to flying utilizing Sport privileges, you will need to have a current 3rd class medical certificate for non-commercial operations. Medical certificate durations have changed over the years. Currently according to FAR 61.23, if you are under the age of 40 when you have your medical examination, you have 60 calendar months of privileges. If you are over the age of 40 at the time of the examination, you have 24 calendar months before needing another medical. If you have any questions about the medical requirements, your flight instructor will be able to help you decipher the rules.
These three steps are the only requirements that you need to get back into the world of aviation and begin enjoying your certificate again. Don’t wait another month to get back to it. Now is a great time to start back again.
Safe flying!
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Earlier this year, I wrote about my family’s plans to take a number of mini-vacations during the summer centered on our enjoyment of roller coasters and amusement parks. Now that the amusement park season is winding down, I am happy to report that we were able to visit six of the twelve amusement parks in the Cedar Fair family this year including all but one in the eastern half of the United States and Canada (maybe another time Dorney Park).
Half of the park visits included the use of a general aviation aircraft as transportation to and from the area but all did not go as originally planned. The trips required flexibility for them to happen safely.
Good pilot judgment depends on proper planning and the ability to adjust the plans when warranted by the conditions.
Carowinds Trip
One of our trips during the month of June was to Carowinds along the North and South Carolina border; about twenty minutes from the Charlotte Douglas International Airport in Charlotte, North Carolina. I recounted some of the details regarding this trip in my previous post.
The planning for this started days in advance with a preliminary look at the long range forecast and the arrangement of a rental car. The long range forecast looked good at the destination and along the way.
Our plan was to depart the Sporty’s/Clermont County Airport early in the morning for the one day trip. A detailed review of the weather was in order on the evening before the trip. There were some storm systems in the Charlotte area that night but they were forecast to be gone by the time we arrived. All looked good for our flight when we headed for bed.
A review of the weather the next morning showed that the storms were a bit slower to clear than expected but they were dissipating. By the time we arrived at the airport to board the Piper Aztec, the rain had moved out and we only had some marginal clouds and visibilities with which to contend. The conditions and forecast were well above my personal minimums so we launched to the southeast. It was a great flight with a descent through a layer clouds near the Charlotte area. The approach and landing were performed visually.
As reported before, the trip to the park was quick and easy and the kids enjoyed the day trying out the new coasters and rides. My mother, who first introduced me to roller coasters back before there were many height limitations, also enjoyed the trip. The Intimidator and Afterburn coasters were family favorites.
The trip back to Clermont County was smooth and uneventful.
We had planned our day trip to Michigan on a Tuesday near the end of July. Plans were made, the G1000 equipped Cessna 182 was scheduled, the vacation day was set, and the weather looked questionable when viewed on the Monday before. While it didn’t look like the trip would be a washout, the forecast called for thunderstorms to pop up along the route and at the destination. With appropriate planning, an early departure, and weather avoidance equipment, it might have been okay, but who really wants to spend the day worrying about storms. Time for plan B.
Looking a couple days out to Thursday, the weather looked more promising. Change the plans, reschedule the airplane, change the vacation day, and hope for the better weather. The better weather held true.
Thursday dawned bright and sunny. The route could have been flown under visual flight rules but I elected to file an instrument flight plan anyway. I just like the added margin of safety with having my ATC “crew” on the ground in a single-pilot operation.
I contemplated flying to Muskegon or Fremont, Michigan. Muskegon is a tower controlled field with a Terminal Radar Service Area surrounding it. Fremont is a non-towered field with a nice long runway and instrument approaches. Researching online, it looked like the drive times to the park would be similar though the drive from Muskegon would be on larger roads. Ultimately, the rental car convenience and lower fuel price at Fremont won out and I made that our destination.
The flight to Fremont took just over two hours. It was a relatively smooth flight other than a few bumps as we descended toward the airport.
The drive to the park was a little more complicated than anticipated due to road closures unfamiliar to the GPS but we ultimately made it. The family enjoyed the day at this smaller Cedar Fair park and I think that the Shivering Timbers roller coaster was worth the trip.
The flight back home was quiet and uneventful from an airplane perspective. The moon created an amazing fire-like show as it rose into the darkening sky. Cincinnati Approach welcomed us home like a long lost friend.
Canada’s Wonderland and Niagara Falls Trip
Our final big trip of the summer came in early August. We departed for Niagara Falls, New York, in the Aztec on Sunday evening after my kids and I attended a family reunion and my wife finished her work for the day. Hotel reservations and a rental car along with initial weather evaluations had been taken care of during the prior week. Final weather evaluations were completed before departing on this multi-day adventure.
With confidence born in having a second engine and fairly good weather, I elected to take a direct route to Niagara Falls airport. This put us over Lake Erie for about 85 miles and carried us through the edge of Canadian airspace. The shores of the lake were always in sight and easily accessible if an emergency were to have occurred.
We hit a line of clouds and some moderate turbulence over the shore near Cleveland but the flight was smooth with good visibility otherwise.
As we approached the Niagara area, Buffalo Approach began to give us vectors to the outer marker for the ILS on runway two eight right. Since the weather was beautiful and this was our first visit, I asked about the aircraft traffic over the Falls. He indicated that there was no traffic and provided us a vector to the area for some sight-seeing laps around this natural wonder. While there is a published procedure with a discrete frequency for VFR flights over Niagara Falls, his instructions were to stay with him, maintain four thousand feet, circle as desired, and advise when ready to proceed to the airport. What fantastic service from ATC and what a spectacular view!!
We parked the Aztec at Niagara Falls Aviation and they met us at the airplane with our rental car.
We spent the night on the U.S. side of the Falls and did the tourist activities on both sides of the border on Monday. Monday evening we drove to our next hotel on the north side of Toronto and prepared for our first day at Canada’s Wonderland, bright and early on Tuesday. Our plan was to spend all of Tuesday and part of Wednesday at the amusement park but the weather outlook for Wednesday didn’t look like it was going to live up to earlier expectations so we took it one day at a time.
Tuesday was a great, though very crowded, day at the park. Leviathan and Behemoth were coaster favorites of the entire family. Time Warp was a unique coaster experience that was worth riding at least once.
A review of the weather Tuesday evening made us rethink our planned time at the park on Wednesday. Storms were going to move in later in the day on Wednesday and our plan was to be home in Ohio by Wednesday evening. Since we were two hours and a border crossing away from the airplane, it was decided that we should start our drive back to New York early in the morning. Being at the airport would allow us to better adjust for the weather and it looked like the storms would reach Niagara in the mid afternoon.
Back at the airport and having cell service once again, I looked more closely at the weather. It turned out that there were two lines of storms. One was strong and currently impacting our route of flight, the other was weaker and would arrive at our departure point in a couple of hours. Current conditions at the departure point were very good and it looked like a deviation well west of our desired course would keep us clear of the weather and allow us to reach Clermont County.
Armed with a thorough weather briefing, a plan, and visual conditions supplemented by ADS-B weather to monitor the situation, we launched on our journey home.
The direct flight path home would have taken us into the heart of a line of extreme thunderstorms. Our new route took us direct to the Sandusky VOR and then south to Clermont; well clear and behind the extreme line.
Passing north of the line we encountered some light precipitation and some light turbulence but the ride wasn’t bad. Once in the clear and behind the line of storms, I requested a route direct to our destination and received this in short order. The ADS-B showed some cells of light to moderate precipitation to the west of this route which bore watching but they dissipated soon enough.
Our next encounter with weather came as we approached the Sporty’s/Clermont County Airport. A low layer of strato-cumulus clouds necessitated flying the instrument approach to runway two two. Visibility beneath the clouds was good and the landing occurred without an issue.
While we would have liked to have had two days at Canada’s Wonderland, we were happy to be safe and sound and on the ground at home. The decision to be flexible and leave early was a good one.
Flexible Flyer
Aviation is a great mode of transportation. General aviation will take you places that aren’t easily accessed and allow you to see things that you can only see from a light aircraft.
But, aviation does require sound pilot judgment and may require some flexibility.
If it is super important that you arrive somewhere at a particular time, then you need to be thorough in your planning. If the general aviation plan won’t work without exceeding your personal minimums, then make sure that you leave yourself enough time for a plan B or C. Don’t let “get-there-itis” be your downfall.
Speaking of personal minimums, if you don’t have any, develop some. There are several tools available for this which may find their way into a future article. You can also discuss these with your favorite local flight instructor. Once you have your personal minimums, stick to them! Review them occasionally during quiet times to see if they need adjusted. The time to review them for changes in not in the middle of a flight decision.
Go on, get out there and use your pilot rating but be safe so that the most exciting part of your story is at your destination not something read in an NTSB report.
Standing next to my favorite airplane inspires me to recall a few of my favorite flights. This old, red Aztec has taken my friends, family and me to such far-flung places as Caracas, Newfoundland, Cabo and Kelowna. I now realize it was because of the training I received (and a lot of good luck) that I have been afforded the opportunity to go to those places–and cherish those memories.
Here at Sporty’s, I see all kinds of prospective pilots walk through our door. Some want to be an airline captain, others a bush pilot, and many just want to see the ground from the sky with a buddy or spouse (or someone they hope will be their spouse). But no matter the disparate goals, they have one thing in common. Sometime between that moment when they first walk into our flight school and the time they advance the throttles on that Boeing full of passengers or Skyhawk with a friend, they have to taxi from the ramp to the end of the runway, take off and land an airplane by themselves–they must solo!
The solo is such a powerful accomplishment that in the past couple years, we at Sporty’s Academy have not had anyone–not a single student–drop out of the program between their solo and earning a certificate. And regardless if they are pursuing a Sport, Recreational or Private license, they all need to possess the same knowledge of airmanship to conduct that solo. The main (and really only) difference in requirements is the Recreational and Private candidate must have obtained a medical certificate prior to their solo flight.
This initial, mutual path forms the architecture for Sporty’s award-winning Learn to Fly course. The first lessons concentrate on soloing, the common experience for all pilots. Just as a long cross country is really only a series of short cross countries, only after pilots pass this first waypoint–the solo–are they ready to continue their route to the Sport, Recreational or Private certificate. Flight paths for all three are included in our Learn to Fly course.
In the future it is my hope the FAA will extend to pilots flying simple airplanes recreationally, the same medical requirements necessary for the pilots of balloons, gliders and sport airplanes. This will eliminate what is for some the greatest barrier to my passion–our passion–enabling a new generation of aviators to create memories of their favorite flights. Now that is a proactive flight plan!
Blue skies and right rudder. Fly safely.
Hal Shevers
Founder/Chairman
Sporty’s
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There’s no hiding the fact that earning a pilot certificate will most certainly involve some study. While certain topics will come easier for some, we all will face unique challenges and concepts we find difficult. We’ll also encounter regulations, procedures, checklists, and much more, deserving of additional study and effort to master. And we’ll be better pilots for it and begin to formulate the right habits to maintain proficiency and the desire to continue learning.
Tip #1 – Schedule Study Time
Having trouble finding time to study? Try setting a scheduled, recurring appointment. Committing to specific days and times for your study will increase your likelihood of accomplishing your training on schedule and lessens the opportunity for distraction. Experimenting with various times of day to study can also be a valuable exercise to find your optimum energy level. It will also help you determine the right amount of study that’s right for you per session.
Once you’ve found that optimum time of day, try committing to the same time each study session to help reinforce the habit. Sporty’s video training is divided into small, manageable segments to make it easier to fit your schedule.
Tip #2 – Focus on Manageable Segments of Information
For some, having all of your training material in one convenient location can seem a bit overwhelming. But for others, this same grouping of resources makes it tempting to fit in as much as you can in one sitting.
While everyone is different, it generally helps to space your studying and focus on one topic at a time. Focus on general topics first and then on the fine details. It also helps to take frequent short breaks. This method will allow you to retain more of the information as it will be easier to remember the information that was presented first and last.
Finding the right length of study time for you and then making that study session a daily routine will allow you to still meet your goals in a reasonable time frame. Test yourself to identify deficient knowledge areas and then begin each session with a review of what you’ve previously identified as a weaker area.
Tip #3 – Notes Can Help
Taking good notes can help many students stay organized and provide a clear, succinct method for remembering key topics which can be reviewed.
Notes should be kept in the same location and as obvious as it sounds, kept in the same order as the course. The course is already organized to provide a logical, building-block approach to your learning. Dating each entry will also help with recall and provide additional motivation to stay on task.
While your notes should contain a complete record of general topics, it should not be a record of every word spoken. This will prevent you from truly understanding what is being taught on screen. When you study, your notes should call back to mind the entire sequence of topics presented. In a separate location from within your notes, make room to jot down terms or acronyms you may wish to expand on later or research further.
Also keep in mind that any text presented on screen or topics emphasized by the instructors are important and should be included in your notes. If possible, try to take your notes in some kind of outline form. The organization of ideas is as important as the content of those ideas, especially when it comes to learning the material for the exam.
Finally, you might find it useful to review your notes right away while the information is fresh and have a highlighter available for important ideas.
Tip #4 – Consider a Group Setting
Never underestimate the power of your peers, especially when working through difficult concepts with everyone working toward a common goal. Tapping into the knowledge and insight of your “partners” is an effective way to reduce your workload – and to make sure you understand the material. You might even forge some long-lasting friendships along the way.
Students tend to learn faster working within a group versus working alone. If you were working on your own, there is risk of wasted time puzzling over a specific topic. While working in a group setting, you have the opportunity to explain concepts, review material, exchange ideas, and disagree/reason with one another about why one person’s answer differs from another. You can seek clarification and learn faster working in a group setting while gaining personal skills.
There are always ways to enhance your studying methods/techniques in your study skills. Joining a study group will provide you the opportunity to observe a wide variety of study methods and incorporate them into your study habits. Additionally, studying by yourself can get boring and monotonous. A study group brings a positive social aspect.
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For most pilots, flying into AirVenture Oshkosh (KOSH) is very near the top of their bucket list. As a pilot, there is just something amazing about following a railroad track and being asked by a controller to “rock your wings” while on your way to the largest gathering of general aviation enthusiasts in existence. To the non-aviator, talking about a flight of this magnitude doesn’t resonate the same as when talking to fellow pilots who dream of this event. We get to be a part of this exclusive club that understands the Oshkosh initiation when flying to the aviation Mecca.
I’ve been part of the Sporty’s team for more than 12 years and have been attending AirVenture Oshkosh for most of those years. Normally my assignment is slightly less glamorous as I’d typically be driving a company vehicle pulling a trailer full of pilot supplies, but not this year. The planets must have aligned perfectly as I was the lucky pilot chosen to fly the brand new Sporty’s RV12 sweepstakes airplane to Oshkosh. Flying to Oshkosh, and more specifically, the VFR arrival has always been on my bucket list and now I get to check it off, and what’s more, in an RV12!
Planning for the flight was both easy and exciting. EAA publishes the Notice to Airman (NOTAM) well in advance so overly excited pilots can start dreaming weeks ahead of the big day and digesting all of the fine details. I’m pretty sure I can still recite every frequency, even the ones I had no chance at being assigned. Firing up ForeFlight on my iPad, I plugged in a direct route and started adjusting the course line to best fit the needs of the RV and its pilot.
Sporty’s is located at the Clermont County Airport (I69), just east of Cincinnati Ohio. A direct line to KOSH put me right in the middle of Lake Michigan. I can swim fairly well, but didn’t want to have to demonstrate that ability on this flight in the unlikely event of trouble. But honestly, who can pass up the opportunity to fly up the gorgeous Chicago lakefront and have a glimpse of the former home of Meigs field.
The total flight was planned to be approximately 4.5 hours. The RV will hold around 5 hours of fuel. Arriving anywhere with less than an hour of fuel reserve is a felony in my book, so a fuel stop is a must. Besides, the thought of a man my size trying to use a travel john in a tight cockpit like the RV had me convinced that I might even need two stops.
With the plan in place, all I had left to do was dream about my big flight for the next few weeks. Like a 4 year old waiting for Christmas morning, I couldn’t hardly sleep ahead of the big day.
The RV12 is an LSA so it’s small, light and approved for VFR flying only. The weatherman was not on my side that day as a front was moving through the region. Weather began to move in as I approached the Chicago area, but I was equipped with ADS-B weather and had a good picture of what was ahead. A shower roughly the size of the Class B airspace in Chicago was preventing me from taking the scenic route up the lake shore.
A few adjustments to the route and a stop had me waiting out the worst of the weather southwest of Chicago in Dekalb. By chance, a B-17 was giving rides that day. While I didn’t have the time to get in line, it sure was an entertaining way to wait out the weather delay.
As the front passed, I made a run for KOSH and it looked like everyone and their brother had the same idea. Again, the ADS-B proved invaluable providing traffic avoidance approaching the Oshkosh area via my iPad connected to a Stratus ADS-B receiver.
30 miles from RIPON, all traffic disappeared. Not because they landed, but because the NOTAM required transponders be turned off. [I often wonder if that requirement should be removed with our new found traffic capabilities.] Flying over the town of Ripon, I merge into a line of aircraft following the railroad track to FISKE. Few words can describe the sight of more than a dozen small airplanes in line for a VFR arrival to the “world’s largest airshow.”
When the controller came across the frequency asking that the “blue low wing following the ‘amphib’, rock your wings,” you can bet I gave a wiggle that might have required wearing a parachute. “Nice wing rock. Follow the ‘amphib’ for 36 left.” A compliment from an Oshkosh controller? If I could have done a back flip inside the cockpit, I would have.
Switching over to the tower frequency, I received the final clearance I had so eagerly anticipated – “cleared to land, 36 left, yellow dot, welcome to Oshkosh.” I made sure to leave my mark right in the center of that dot as one of my most memorable flights came to an end.
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It was my first real trip as a licensed pilot, flying a Cessna 172 from Cincinnati to Toledo, Ohio to meet my fiancee (now wife) and her parents for the weekend. I was thrilled to make use of my new certificate on a “mission,” not just touch and gos. I was also excited to show my in-laws how powerful this whole flying idea could be.
But after landing in Toledo, my emotions quickly went from pride to embarrassment. First, I couldn’t figure out how to put the sun shades in the airplane. Sounds simple, but I had never done it during flight training. When I landed after a lesson, another student was coming for the airplane so I just chocked it and walked away. This was new territory. After 15 minutes of experimenting with the sun shades in the 90 degree heat, I finally figured out the system and closed up the airplane.
As I walked into the FBO, I stumbled into another embarrassing moment. The nice lady behind the counter asked if I needed a crew car. “What’s a crew car?” I naively asked. “Am I crew?”
It was obvious–I knew how to fly a Cessna, but I had no idea how to travel by Cessna. I was like a football player who had been to all the practices and scrimmages, but never played in a real game.
My guess is a lot of new pilots are in the same situation.
As student pilots and newly-minted private pilots, we spend most of our time in the traffic pattern or the practice area. Even during cross countries, the goal is to make the trip, get a logbook stamp and head home. It’s all about the process, not enjoying the ride or the destination.
There’s nothing wrong with this approach during training. After all, the goal is to maximize your learning during the allotted time. But once you earn your license, it’s critical to throw off those shackles, get out and travel! It’s one of the most exciting and enjoyable things (maybe the most enjoyable thing) about being a pilot.
But as my trip to Toledo showed, it’s not as easy as you might think–especially if your flight school emphasized dead reckoning over real travel.
For a start, you need to learn some very practical skills. If you’re flying to Chicago (or Atlanta or Dallas or Los Angeles), you have more than a half dozen airports from which to choose. Picking the right one is an art, and it takes practice. Which one is closest to your destination, which has the right facilities, what’s the difference in fuel price? These are all basic but important questions you need to consider when planning a trip.
Once you’ve chosen an airport, you may need to select an FBO and arrange for parking, fuel, rental car or other logistics. It’s not hard, but it’s something you probably didn’t learn in ground school. For example, most FBOs have discounted rates with area hotels or rental car companies–but you have to ask.
There are more serious lessons to learn, too. If you’ve only flown within 100 miles of your home airport, you probably aren’t familiar with different terrain, weather and ATC features. Learning to fly in Ohio, I remember feeling really uncomfortable the first time I flew in the mountains. For one, there were rocks to miss, but the weather patterns were also quite different and ATC radar didn’t go down to the ground.
Longer trips also expose you to changing weather, which I’ve found pushes me to be a better pilot. Here’s an example: if it’s windy at home, you read the METAR and cancel your flight. But if you’re 2 hours into a cross country and your destination airport starts reporting gusty winds, you can’t just cancel. Or maybe you flew in yesterday in clear skies, but the next morning you wake up to an overcast sky and fog.
You should never let weather back you into a corner and compromise safety (“get-home-itis” can kill), but learning to handle Mother Nature is one of the most valuable lessons you can learn. Sometimes you’ll have to cut your plans short to beat the weather home, sometimes you’ll have to spend an extra night in that hotel waiting for better weather. Learning to say no or to be flexible is all part of learning to travel by airplane.
Studies have shown that the process of planning and anticipating a trip can often be as enjoyable as the actual event. That study obviously didn’t include pilots, because nothing beats the flight, but the point is still valid. Don’t rush the planning phase. Take the time to learn all the variables, consider the options and make a thoughtful decision. You’ll have more fun before and during the trip, and you’ll learn just how rewarding it is to fly yourself somewhere.
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Getting Back Into Flying
/in Tips and technique/by studentpltnewsThe largest held misconception about getting back into flying is that you have to take another written exam or another checkride with a Designated Pilot Examiner or the FAA. Others believe that the process will take so long and cost so much that it will be equivalent to learning to fly all over again. For those who might be thinking along those lines, I have great news; the actual requirement is far, far simpler than either of those paths.
All you need to begin flying again is a current Flight Review (every 24 calendar months), recency of experience to carry passengers (if desired) and a current medical certificate.
The Flight Review –
Like all regulations, there is more fine print in the book, along with exceptions for pilots in specific circumstances, but that general paragraph applies to most everyone. As you can see, the Flight Review is not a huge procedure. It simply requires a flight instructor to endorse that you are safe to go flying again. No checkrides. No written exams. No FAA inspectors. Any current CFI that has privileges for your type of flying (Airplane Single Engine Land, Helicopter, Seaplane, etc.) is capable of conducting your Flight Review.
Your Flight Review will not be a hazing or tortured experience. The goal of a quality flight instructor conducting a Flight Review is to ensure your safety as a pilot, and to provide a sample review of required knowledge and flight skills. Most instructors will ask about what type of flying you do, what does a typical flight look like, and use these answers to help guide what your review will be focused on.
It doesn’t benefit you or your instructor to spend most of the review focused on ATC communications if you spend all of your time at non-towered airports. Remember that your input is welcome! Pilots should try to highlight areas of flying that they feel need work or haven’t been reviewed in years. Make the Flight Review a great learning experience, not just a regulatory requirement.
Currency Requirements –
According to FAR 61.57, in order to carry passengers you must have completed at least 3 takeoffs and landings within the preceding 90 days. This requirement applies to daytime and will likely be satisfied during the course of your Flight Review. If you are interested in returning to night passenger carrying, remember to conduct those 3 landings at night to a full stop to meet the night passenger carrying requirements. If you are not planning on taking passengers up immediately, this section does not apply to a pilot flying solo.
Medical –
These three steps are the only requirements that you need to get back into the world of aviation and begin enjoying your certificate again. Don’t wait another month to get back to it. Now is a great time to start back again.
Safe flying!
Flexible Flyer
/in Personal stories, Tips and technique/by studentpltnewsEarlier this year, I wrote about my family’s plans to take a number of mini-vacations during the summer centered on our enjoyment of roller coasters and amusement parks. Now that the amusement park season is winding down, I am happy to report that we were able to visit six of the twelve amusement parks in the Cedar Fair family this year including all but one in the eastern half of the United States and Canada (maybe another time Dorney Park).
Half of the park visits included the use of a general aviation aircraft as transportation to and from the area but all did not go as originally planned. The trips required flexibility for them to happen safely.
Good pilot judgment depends on proper planning and the ability to adjust the plans when warranted by the conditions.
Carowinds Trip
The planning for this started days in advance with a preliminary look at the long range forecast and the arrangement of a rental car. The long range forecast looked good at the destination and along the way.
Our plan was to depart the Sporty’s/Clermont County Airport early in the morning for the one day trip. A detailed review of the weather was in order on the evening before the trip. There were some storm systems in the Charlotte area that night but they were forecast to be gone by the time we arrived. All looked good for our flight when we headed for bed.
A review of the weather the next morning showed that the storms were a bit slower to clear than expected but they were dissipating. By the time we arrived at the airport to board the Piper Aztec, the rain had moved out and we only had some marginal clouds and visibilities with which to contend. The conditions and forecast were well above my personal minimums so we launched to the southeast. It was a great flight with a descent through a layer clouds near the Charlotte area. The approach and landing were performed visually.
As reported before, the trip to the park was quick and easy and the kids enjoyed the day trying out the new coasters and rides. My mother, who first introduced me to roller coasters back before there were many height limitations, also enjoyed the trip. The Intimidator and Afterburn coasters were family favorites.
The trip back to Clermont County was smooth and uneventful.
Michigan’s Adventure Trip
Looking a couple days out to Thursday, the weather looked more promising. Change the plans, reschedule the airplane, change the vacation day, and hope for the better weather. The better weather held true.
Thursday dawned bright and sunny. The route could have been flown under visual flight rules but I elected to file an instrument flight plan anyway. I just like the added margin of safety with having my ATC “crew” on the ground in a single-pilot operation.
I contemplated flying to Muskegon or Fremont, Michigan. Muskegon is a tower controlled field with a Terminal Radar Service Area surrounding it. Fremont is a non-towered field with a nice long runway and instrument approaches. Researching online, it looked like the drive times to the park would be similar though the drive from Muskegon would be on larger roads. Ultimately, the rental car convenience and lower fuel price at Fremont won out and I made that our destination.
The flight to Fremont took just over two hours. It was a relatively smooth flight other than a few bumps as we descended toward the airport.
The drive to the park was a little more complicated than anticipated due to road closures unfamiliar to the GPS but we ultimately made it. The family enjoyed the day at this smaller Cedar Fair park and I think that the Shivering Timbers roller coaster was worth the trip.
The flight back home was quiet and uneventful from an airplane perspective. The moon created an amazing fire-like show as it rose into the darkening sky. Cincinnati Approach welcomed us home like a long lost friend.
Canada’s Wonderland and Niagara Falls Trip
With confidence born in having a second engine and fairly good weather, I elected to take a direct route to Niagara Falls airport. This put us over Lake Erie for about 85 miles and carried us through the edge of Canadian airspace. The shores of the lake were always in sight and easily accessible if an emergency were to have occurred.
We hit a line of clouds and some moderate turbulence over the shore near Cleveland but the flight was smooth with good visibility otherwise.
We parked the Aztec at Niagara Falls Aviation and they met us at the airplane with our rental car.
We spent the night on the U.S. side of the Falls and did the tourist activities on both sides of the border on Monday. Monday evening we drove to our next hotel on the north side of Toronto and prepared for our first day at Canada’s Wonderland, bright and early on Tuesday. Our plan was to spend all of Tuesday and part of Wednesday at the amusement park but the weather outlook for Wednesday didn’t look like it was going to live up to earlier expectations so we took it one day at a time.
Tuesday was a great, though very crowded, day at the park. Leviathan and Behemoth were coaster favorites of the entire family. Time Warp was a unique coaster experience that was worth riding at least once.
A review of the weather Tuesday evening made us rethink our planned time at the park on Wednesday. Storms were going to move in later in the day on Wednesday and our plan was to be home in Ohio by Wednesday evening. Since we were two hours and a border crossing away from the airplane, it was decided that we should start our drive back to New York early in the morning. Being at the airport would allow us to better adjust for the weather and it looked like the storms would reach Niagara in the mid afternoon.
Back at the airport and having cell service once again, I looked more closely at the weather. It turned out that there were two lines of storms. One was strong and currently impacting our route of flight, the other was weaker and would arrive at our departure point in a couple of hours. Current conditions at the departure point were very good and it looked like a deviation well west of our desired course would keep us clear of the weather and allow us to reach Clermont County.
The direct flight path home would have taken us into the heart of a line of extreme thunderstorms. Our new route took us direct to the Sandusky VOR and then south to Clermont; well clear and behind the extreme line.
Passing north of the line we encountered some light precipitation and some light turbulence but the ride wasn’t bad. Once in the clear and behind the line of storms, I requested a route direct to our destination and received this in short order. The ADS-B showed some cells of light to moderate precipitation to the west of this route which bore watching but they dissipated soon enough.
Our next encounter with weather came as we approached the Sporty’s/Clermont County Airport. A low layer of strato-cumulus clouds necessitated flying the instrument approach to runway two two. Visibility beneath the clouds was good and the landing occurred without an issue.
While we would have liked to have had two days at Canada’s Wonderland, we were happy to be safe and sound and on the ground at home. The decision to be flexible and leave early was a good one.
Flexible Flyer
Aviation is a great mode of transportation. General aviation will take you places that aren’t easily accessed and allow you to see things that you can only see from a light aircraft.
But, aviation does require sound pilot judgment and may require some flexibility.
If it is super important that you arrive somewhere at a particular time, then you need to be thorough in your planning. If the general aviation plan won’t work without exceeding your personal minimums, then make sure that you leave yourself enough time for a plan B or C. Don’t let “get-there-itis” be your downfall.
Speaking of personal minimums, if you don’t have any, develop some. There are several tools available for this which may find their way into a future article. You can also discuss these with your favorite local flight instructor. Once you have your personal minimums, stick to them! Review them occasionally during quiet times to see if they need adjusted. The time to review them for changes in not in the middle of a flight decision.
Go on, get out there and use your pilot rating but be safe so that the most exciting part of your story is at your destination not something read in an NTSB report.
Hangarside chat with Hal Shevers
/in Personal stories/by studentpltnewsHere at Sporty’s, I see all kinds of prospective pilots walk through our door. Some want to be an airline captain, others a bush pilot, and many just want to see the ground from the sky with a buddy or spouse (or someone they hope will be their spouse). But no matter the disparate goals, they have one thing in common. Sometime between that moment when they first walk into our flight school and the time they advance the throttles on that Boeing full of passengers or Skyhawk with a friend, they have to taxi from the ramp to the end of the runway, take off and land an airplane by themselves–they must solo!
The solo is such a powerful accomplishment that in the past couple years, we at Sporty’s Academy have not had anyone–not a single student–drop out of the program between their solo and earning a certificate. And regardless if they are pursuing a Sport, Recreational or Private license, they all need to possess the same knowledge of airmanship to conduct that solo. The main (and really only) difference in requirements is the Recreational and Private candidate must have obtained a medical certificate prior to their solo flight.
This initial, mutual path forms the architecture for Sporty’s award-winning Learn to Fly course. The first lessons concentrate on soloing, the common experience for all pilots. Just as a long cross country is really only a series of short cross countries, only after pilots pass this first waypoint–the solo–are they ready to continue their route to the Sport, Recreational or Private certificate. Flight paths for all three are included in our Learn to Fly course.
In the future it is my hope the FAA will extend to pilots flying simple airplanes recreationally, the same medical requirements necessary for the pilots of balloons, gliders and sport airplanes. This will eliminate what is for some the greatest barrier to my passion–our passion–enabling a new generation of aviators to create memories of their favorite flights. Now that is a proactive flight plan!
Blue skies and right rudder. Fly safely.
Hal Shevers
Founder/Chairman
Sporty’s
4 Tips for Effective Study
/in Tips and technique/by studentpltnewsThere’s no hiding the fact that earning a pilot certificate will most certainly involve some study. While certain topics will come easier for some, we all will face unique challenges and concepts we find difficult. We’ll also encounter regulations, procedures, checklists, and much more, deserving of additional study and effort to master. And we’ll be better pilots for it and begin to formulate the right habits to maintain proficiency and the desire to continue learning.
Having trouble finding time to study? Try setting a scheduled, recurring appointment. Committing to specific days and times for your study will increase your likelihood of accomplishing your training on schedule and lessens the opportunity for distraction. Experimenting with various times of day to study can also be a valuable exercise to find your optimum energy level. It will also help you determine the right amount of study that’s right for you per session.
Once you’ve found that optimum time of day, try committing to the same time each study session to help reinforce the habit. Sporty’s video training is divided into small, manageable segments to make it easier to fit your schedule.
For some, having all of your training material in one convenient location can seem a bit overwhelming. But for others, this same grouping of resources makes it tempting to fit in as much as you can in one sitting.
While everyone is different, it generally helps to space your studying and focus on one topic at a time. Focus on general topics first and then on the fine details. It also helps to take frequent short breaks. This method will allow you to retain more of the information as it will be easier to remember the information that was presented first and last.
Finding the right length of study time for you and then making that study session a daily routine will allow you to still meet your goals in a reasonable time frame. Test yourself to identify deficient knowledge areas and then begin each session with a review of what you’ve previously identified as a weaker area.
Taking good notes can help many students stay organized and provide a clear, succinct method for remembering key topics which can be reviewed.
Notes should be kept in the same location and as obvious as it sounds, kept in the same order as the course. The course is already organized to provide a logical, building-block approach to your learning. Dating each entry will also help with recall and provide additional motivation to stay on task.
While your notes should contain a complete record of general topics, it should not be a record of every word spoken. This will prevent you from truly understanding what is being taught on screen. When you study, your notes should call back to mind the entire sequence of topics presented. In a separate location from within your notes, make room to jot down terms or acronyms you may wish to expand on later or research further.
Also keep in mind that any text presented on screen or topics emphasized by the instructors are important and should be included in your notes. If possible, try to take your notes in some kind of outline form. The organization of ideas is as important as the content of those ideas, especially when it comes to learning the material for the exam.
Finally, you might find it useful to review your notes right away while the information is fresh and have a highlighter available for important ideas.
Never underestimate the power of your peers, especially when working through difficult concepts with everyone working toward a common goal. Tapping into the knowledge and insight of your “partners” is an effective way to reduce your workload – and to make sure you understand the material. You might even forge some long-lasting friendships along the way.
Students tend to learn faster working within a group versus working alone. If you were working on your own, there is risk of wasted time puzzling over a specific topic. While working in a group setting, you have the opportunity to explain concepts, review material, exchange ideas, and disagree/reason with one another about why one person’s answer differs from another. You can seek clarification and learn faster working in a group setting while gaining personal skills.
There are always ways to enhance your studying methods/techniques in your study skills. Joining a study group will provide you the opportunity to observe a wide variety of study methods and incorporate them into your study habits. Additionally, studying by yourself can get boring and monotonous. A study group brings a positive social aspect.
Is Flying to Oshkosh on Your Bucket List
/in Personal stories/by studentpltnewsI’ve been part of the Sporty’s team for more than 12 years and have been attending AirVenture Oshkosh for most of those years. Normally my assignment is slightly less glamorous as I’d typically be driving a company vehicle pulling a trailer full of pilot supplies, but not this year. The planets must have aligned perfectly as I was the lucky pilot chosen to fly the brand new Sporty’s RV12 sweepstakes airplane to Oshkosh. Flying to Oshkosh, and more specifically, the VFR arrival has always been on my bucket list and now I get to check it off, and what’s more, in an RV12!
Sporty’s is located at the Clermont County Airport (I69), just east of Cincinnati Ohio. A direct line to KOSH put me right in the middle of Lake Michigan. I can swim fairly well, but didn’t want to have to demonstrate that ability on this flight in the unlikely event of trouble. But honestly, who can pass up the opportunity to fly up the gorgeous Chicago lakefront and have a glimpse of the former home of Meigs field.
The total flight was planned to be approximately 4.5 hours. The RV will hold around 5 hours of fuel. Arriving anywhere with less than an hour of fuel reserve is a felony in my book, so a fuel stop is a must. Besides, the thought of a man my size trying to use a travel john in a tight cockpit like the RV had me convinced that I might even need two stops.
With the plan in place, all I had left to do was dream about my big flight for the next few weeks. Like a 4 year old waiting for Christmas morning, I couldn’t hardly sleep ahead of the big day.
A few adjustments to the route and a stop had me waiting out the worst of the weather southwest of Chicago in Dekalb. By chance, a B-17 was giving rides that day. While I didn’t have the time to get in line, it sure was an entertaining way to wait out the weather delay.
As the front passed, I made a run for KOSH and it looked like everyone and their brother had the same idea. Again, the ADS-B proved invaluable providing traffic avoidance approaching the Oshkosh area via my iPad connected to a Stratus ADS-B receiver.
30 miles from RIPON, all traffic disappeared. Not because they landed, but because the NOTAM required transponders be turned off. [I often wonder if that requirement should be removed with our new found traffic capabilities.] Flying over the town of Ripon, I merge into a line of aircraft following the railroad track to FISKE. Few words can describe the sight of more than a dozen small airplanes in line for a VFR arrival to the “world’s largest airshow.”
Switching over to the tower frequency, I received the final clearance I had so eagerly anticipated – “cleared to land, 36 left, yellow dot, welcome to Oshkosh.” I made sure to leave my mark right in the center of that dot as one of my most memorable flights came to an end.
The art of cross country travel by light airplane
/in Personal stories/by studentpltnewsIt was my first real trip as a licensed pilot, flying a Cessna 172 from Cincinnati to Toledo, Ohio to meet my fiancee (now wife) and her parents for the weekend. I was thrilled to make use of my new certificate on a “mission,” not just touch and gos. I was also excited to show my in-laws how powerful this whole flying idea could be.
But after landing in Toledo, my emotions quickly went from pride to embarrassment. First, I couldn’t figure out how to put the sun shades in the airplane. Sounds simple, but I had never done it during flight training. When I landed after a lesson, another student was coming for the airplane so I just chocked it and walked away. This was new territory. After 15 minutes of experimenting with the sun shades in the 90 degree heat, I finally figured out the system and closed up the airplane.
It was obvious–I knew how to fly a Cessna, but I had no idea how to travel by Cessna. I was like a football player who had been to all the practices and scrimmages, but never played in a real game.
My guess is a lot of new pilots are in the same situation.
As student pilots and newly-minted private pilots, we spend most of our time in the traffic pattern or the practice area. Even during cross countries, the goal is to make the trip, get a logbook stamp and head home. It’s all about the process, not enjoying the ride or the destination.
There’s nothing wrong with this approach during training. After all, the goal is to maximize your learning during the allotted time. But once you earn your license, it’s critical to throw off those shackles, get out and travel! It’s one of the most exciting and enjoyable things (maybe the most enjoyable thing) about being a pilot.
But as my trip to Toledo showed, it’s not as easy as you might think–especially if your flight school emphasized dead reckoning over real travel.
For a start, you need to learn some very practical skills. If you’re flying to Chicago (or Atlanta or Dallas or Los Angeles), you have more than a half dozen airports from which to choose. Picking the right one is an art, and it takes practice. Which one is closest to your destination, which has the right facilities, what’s the difference in fuel price? These are all basic but important questions you need to consider when planning a trip.
Once you’ve chosen an airport, you may need to select an FBO and arrange for parking, fuel, rental car or other logistics. It’s not hard, but it’s something you probably didn’t learn in ground school. For example, most FBOs have discounted rates with area hotels or rental car companies–but you have to ask.
There are more serious lessons to learn, too. If you’ve only flown within 100 miles of your home airport, you probably aren’t familiar with different terrain, weather and ATC features. Learning to fly in Ohio, I remember feeling really uncomfortable the first time I flew in the mountains. For one, there were rocks to miss, but the weather patterns were also quite different and ATC radar didn’t go down to the ground.
Longer trips also expose you to changing weather, which I’ve found pushes me to be a better pilot. Here’s an example: if it’s windy at home, you read the METAR and cancel your flight. But if you’re 2 hours into a cross country and your destination airport starts reporting gusty winds, you can’t just cancel. Or maybe you flew in yesterday in clear skies, but the next morning you wake up to an overcast sky and fog.
You should never let weather back you into a corner and compromise safety (“get-home-itis” can kill), but learning to handle Mother Nature is one of the most valuable lessons you can learn. Sometimes you’ll have to cut your plans short to beat the weather home, sometimes you’ll have to spend an extra night in that hotel waiting for better weather. Learning to say no or to be flexible is all part of learning to travel by airplane.
Studies have shown that the process of planning and anticipating a trip can often be as enjoyable as the actual event. That study obviously didn’t include pilots, because nothing beats the flight, but the point is still valid. Don’t rush the planning phase. Take the time to learn all the variables, consider the options and make a thoughtful decision. You’ll have more fun before and during the trip, and you’ll learn just how rewarding it is to fly yourself somewhere.