Sometimes moving forward means getting back to basics. This month, you’ll see a new look for Flight Training magazine. We believe this look moves us forward, but before we could create something new we had to go back to basics and ask ourselves the most fundamental questions—what are we trying to communicate? Who do we want to communicate with? How can we make the valuable information between these covers more accessible and enjoyable for our readers?
The same is true with training. Last year, I flew 270 hours in AOPA’s Cessna CJ3, plus many hours in my own Beechcraft Bonanza A36 and other aircraft. So far this year, I am flying even more, logging about 40 hours in January alone!
Even so, to start my year off right I wanted to get back to basics, so I spent three days at FlightSafety International in Wichita, Kansas, for recurrent training in the CJ3. The instructors there really put me through my paces, creating emergency after emergency in the simulator, as well as taking me through basic exercises and refreshing my knowledge of the intricacies of the aircraft itself.
One of the great advantages of recurrent training is the opportunity to practice doing things we don’t get to do very often, even as we refine our techniques for more routine operations. When you fly a lot, it’s easy to slip into bad habits because they don’t seem to negatively impact your day-to-day flying. And it’s even easier to avoid practicing procedures that just don’t come up very often.
But during my most recent training session, on my last day in the simulator, my instructor, Alex, suggested that we practice flying a localizer back course approach. He said something that I was thinking, “This isn’t something we see too often anymore.” But, the airplane is equipped, the pilot is trained, and we should be sure we can use every tool in our toolbox should the need arise. So, we practiced anyway.
And, as it happened, just a few weeks later I was flying into John Wayne Airport in Southern California when I was told to use the back course approach. It was dark and raining—potential distractions under any circumstances. So you can imagine just how pleased I was to feel confident that I had practiced and could fly the procedure as if it was something I do every day.
The experience really reminded me just how important it is to take the time to get back to basics. I hope you, too, set aside time to practice the basics. Just what those basics are depends on how far you’ve come in your own aviation journey. For those of you just getting started, it may seem that nothing about flying is “basic.” But I can assure you that will change as you gain skills and confidence. I can also promise that the skills you are learning and practicing today will provide a solid background for all you do in flying, and in life, for years to come.
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