Matthew Waugh

We all know that we need to stay current so that we can be legal pilots. We need our Flight Review every 2 years, our various takeoff and landings to carry passengers and instrument pilots need their approaches, holding and interceptions or a proficiency check. Current and legal is one thing, safe and proficient is something different.

If all you do is the minimum you need to stay current then you may not be as proficient as you need to be and you may be missing out on some of the flexibility and advantages, not to say the enjoyment, of flying general aviation planes.

This article provides the outlines of some proficiency flights you might want to plan and execute. I suggest you conduct them with a CFI and before you start sit down with your CFI and tell them you want a critique of the flight. Your not looking for “good enough”, you want to know what can be improved.

As an aside we should mention that CFI’s can be funny creatures.  For some CFIs there is only one way to do things, their way, and anything else is unacceptable. You don’t really want one of these CFIs for these kinds of proficiency flights. You want a CFI who understands that there are two different categories of issues to be worked. Pure and simple safety of flight issues probably do have one way, and only one way of being executed and anything unsafe cannot be tolerated. However most things fall into the opinions and “this is the way I do things” category. You want an instructor who can offer opinions and advice that you can integrate into your experience. We’re not out to change your flying habits, we’re looking to see if we can add some polish.

Private Pilots

Commercial airwork – chandelles and lazy eights.

Takeoffs and landings – revisit short and soft field landing techniques, landing on the centerline, stable approach etc.

Cross-country flights to places you’ve never been. Get lunch, use the courtesy car or figure out how taxis work.

Instrument Pilots

Airwork – maneuvering by reference to instruments, emergency descents etc.

Cross-countries filed IFR and working the system – preferably IMC.