Pilot Proficiency: You Still Have the Controls
Pilot Proficiency: You Still Have the Controls
Once you take control of the airplane, you have a responsibility to take control of your proficiency, too.
Flying Magazine
By Redbird Flight
March 9, 2022
This sponsored post is brought to you by our partner Redbird Flight.
Who could forget that moment? Soaring through the bright blue sky, heart racing, you hear your flight instructor say those magic words for the first time: “You have the controls.”
As years pass and ratings amass, you likely recall that memory fondly from time to time. But do you remember the lesson?
Taking the controls of an airplane for the first time is more than a rite of passage; it is a responsibility you carry with you for as long as you are a certificated pilot. At that moment, your flight instructor passes onto you the accountability for lifelong learning, improvement, sound judgment, and safety.
These characteristics make up a small portion of this nebulous thing we call proficiency – which is an essential item left off far too many preflight checklists in general aviation. While most GA pilots understand the need for proficiency, accident statistics (and probable causes) suggest that something continues to stand in the way of us gaining and maintaining it.
To read original article with photos, click here.
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Story credit: Flying Magazine; https://www.flyingmag.com/pilot-proficiency-you-still-have-the-controls/