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Date: Tue, 10 Nov 1998 17:16:17 -0600
From: Snowbird <snbird@ibm.net>
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Subject: Proficiency (was: Multi-Engine Checkride...WAY TOO LONG
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JStricker wrote:
 
> Since there have been a couple of questions the last few days about 
> multi's, I thought some of you might be interested in this.  I passed > my multi-engine w/instrument a week ago last Thursday (10/22). 

Hey, Steak-breath, good job and congrats (again).  I just have
one comment <major snippage>
 
> BUT, I'm here to tell all of you, unless you fly for a living and/or 
> own your own aircraft YOU WILL HAVE A PROBLEM STAYING CURRENT, SAFE, 
> AND PROFICIENT.  I know I did when I was flying before.

Amen.  Even when you own your own plane it's a problem; the plane
is sitting there tugging at its little tiedown ropes, calling "fly
me! fly me!" but if we just get in and fly from point A to point B
all the time, lots of skills still rust.   And in a busy life it's
hard always to go out to the airport for an hour to practice landings
or maneuvers when I'm already flying 2 instrument lessons and planning
a flying trip from point A to point B this weekend. 

If I haven't flown for a week, I can tell.  If I haven't spent a 
session practicing landings in the last month, I can tell.  If
I haven't flown in 3 weeks, I feel very rusty and refuse to take
on conditions I might fly in if I felt proficient (gusty xwind,
wind shear potential, wet grass field, IMC to minimums, very short
field etc) or to fly pax until I've been up and cleaned off some rust. 

I consider myself a low-time pilot with around 300 hrs, about 80 in my
own plane.  I'm just getting acquainted with him, he explains something
I don't know about how he wants to be flown every time we go flying.

There have been a number of posts recently expressing concern about
getting the private pilot license in the minimal time--overspending
the budget.  Yes, I can see that flying with an instructor for 2
hrs costs the same as flying 3 hrs solo.

But if money is so tight that extra hours of  dual flight time
or a couple hours of ground time means the difference between able to
get the license/unable to get the license, I guess I don't understand
what is going to happen afterwards.  Will the new PPL be able to fly
once a week?  Once a month?  If an extra 12 hrs of dual mean "no
license" does that mean there will be no money for 8 hrs of flying
in the 4 months after the student gets the license?

> I made my mind up to add a rating every year.  And I've done that.  
> I got my instrument rating last year and my multi-this year.  I
> intend to get my commercial next year.   In addition, I fly every 
> other weekend or during the week.  Period.  No excuses.  If I don't
> have a reason to fly, I do it anyway.  IMHO, this is the MINIMUM you 
> need to do to stay safe.

I don't know about the "rating a year" but flying every other week,
minimum--yeah, for me it is anyway.

Can a new pilot, especially a new pilot who did the rating quickly
in minimal time, maintain proficiency if they are only flying once
a month afterwards, or less?

Maybe they can, I don't know.  Maybe I'm just a duffer who should
barely have a PPL, while all these other people are "naturals" and
"hot shots" who can learn it and keep it even if they don't use it.
I don't know.

Snowbird


