Today I'm older, my head is harder for new stuff to penetrate, and I'm somewhat out of the practice of learning. My last formal training experience was attending FlightSafety International's Twin Commander Learning Center in Bethany, Oklahoma, a few years back. The weeklong initial pilot training course was spent both in the classroom, learning the Twin Commander's systems, and in the motion simulator learning how to fly the airplane while handling emergency situations - loss of power in one engine, electrical system failure, hydraulic system failure, and pressurization system failure, to name a few. The training was intensive, but I didn't have to take an FAA knowledge test or checkride because no new certificate or rating was involved. (A type rating is not required to fly a turboprop that has a maximum certificated takeoff weight of less than 12,500 pounds.) I was deemed qualified to fly a Twin Commander as pilot-in-command as a result of successfully meeting FlightSafety's training standards.
I didn't have to take a knowledge test for the Citation type rating, either - just a checkride with the examiner crouched in the aisle between me in the left seat and my instructor in the right. That ride was far different - shorter, and with a sharper focus - than the long, complex, and difficult checkrides I remember for my private certificate and instrument and multiengine ratings.
So, some 10 years after my last checkride and nearly 15 since my last FAA knowledge test, I decided to pursue the commercial certificate. I didn't need it before because I never intended to fly for compensation or hire. Now I'd like to do some professional flying.
There were other forces at work that prompted me to act. For one, I've been involved in a friendly ratings race with my son, Ian. A college senior, he has decided to become a professional pilot and is on a charge to acquire all the necessary credentials. He earned his private certificate in the summer of 2000 and an instrument rating this past spring. That led to a wager on who would be the first to earn the commercial.
But the underlying motivation for me to take another step on the certificate/ratings path was the realization that formal pilot training is a worthy goal in itself. The practical benefits are great, especially with the commercial certificate - getting paid to fly - but in the long run, learning should be a lifetime pursuit and its own reward. Pilot training creates better pilots, but it also keeps the mind active, fresh, and open to more input. Learning begets learning.
Given the limitations on my time - lack of time is the primary reason more pilots aren't able to continually advance their credentials - I chose to prepare for the written exam through self-study. Meanwhile, I began training with my instructor, Mike Gal, in my airplane whenever I could spare a few hours and he was available. We started off well by flying frequently, but summer thunderstorms and major maintenance on the airplane carved huge holes in the flying schedule.
The months flew by, but there was little progress marked in the training column in my logbook. The goal of taking the checkride before summer's end didn't look promising, because the airplane was scheduled to go into the paint shop for about six weeks in August and my partner would have it for some time after that. Then a window of opportunity opened: four full, uninterrupted days in Kansas City, away from the office, to prepare for and take the knowledge test and checkride. It was a very small opening, but I could smell the fresh air. I went for it.
Beginning on a Monday morning, I hit the books hard during the day and flew in the late afternoon and evening. On Thursday morning I arrived on time for the knowledge test - my first computer-based testing experience. I thought it would take about 90 minutes, but I ended up taking every bit of the three-hour maximum to answer the questions and check my answers. I scored well - better, in fact, than my test-proficient son!
The next morning I was at the airport 30 minutes early for my appointment with the examiner. It was another in a string of extremely hot, windy days, and although I would sweat even more than usual, I secretly hoped the uncomfortable temperature might result in an abbreviated exam.
I needn't have worried. I didn't get my shortened test, but the examiner, Ron Albertson, was relaxed, friendly, and reassuring throughout the oral and practical exams. To my great relief and delight, it was a positive, confidence-building experience.
I now have a temporary airman certificate stashed in my wallet, and I eagerly await the arrival of the permanent slip of paper bearing my new credentials. Thanks to the training, I've renewed my general knowledge and precision-flying skills and have adopted a more professional approach to all of my flying. And the bonus? My son passed his commercial checkride, too - a few weeks after his Dad.
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