Return to proficiency

First, start on the ground by reviewing the pilot’s operating handbook of the airplane you plan to fly, then “chair fly” a sequence of normal and emergency procedures using the checklists as a guide. If you’ve got a desktop flight simulator or, better yet, access to a flight training device, spend some time there before going to the airport.

Consider bringing an instructor or safety pilot on your first flight or two. But if you fly by yourself, plan the tasks and maneuvers you’re going to practice ahead of time. That kind of focus will allow you to evaluate your progress and get the most out of your time in the air.

“Plan your flight in advance and put some real thought into it,” said Richard McSpadden, senior vice president of the AOPA Air Safety Institute, which recently developed a Return-to-Flight Proficiency Plan for pilots returning to the skies. “You’ll get way more out of it that way than just making things up as you go.”

Spend some quiet time alone in the airplane. Go through the checklists and physically touch every switch and knob as if you were starting the engine, taking off, and going through a sequence of maneuvers. You may feel self-conscious, but alone time in a quiet cockpit can be extremely helpful at connecting or reconnecting with an airplane. Review and recommit to memory the boldfaced items in the checklist until you’re satisfied that you know them cold.

If you’re out of practice with the avionics, connect the airplane to ground power so you can light up the instrument panel. Enter a flight plan, modify it, then practice the sequence of commands you’d have to enter to divert to another airport.

If you were fortunate enough to learn to fly early in life, received quality instruction, and flew intensively afterward, physical flying skills likely were imprinted so deep in your reptilian brain that they will never leave you—and brushing up is an easy and enjoyable exercise. If you learned later in life, flew sporadically, and learned through rote memorization, flying skills tend to be fleeting, and you’ll have to work to regain them.

 

Pick the right day for your return to flight. Good visibility and light winds will make the process much less stressful. So will treating the maneuvers you’ll perform as a game.

Pick the right day for your return to flight. Good visibility and light winds will make the process much less stressful.

If the old, familiar steep turns, turns around a point, S-turns across a road, and slow flight go well, consider some variations on those themes. We’ve all seen hawks point into the wind and hover. Try to do the same thing with your airplane by sensing which way the wind is blowing at altitude, turning into it, lowering the landing gear and flaps, and getting your groundspeed to the lowest possible value. Keeping your eyes outside, adjusting to minor variations in wind direction, and holding a constant heading and altitude while adding power will involve all your extremities.

Many student pilots learn Dutch rolls, which require holding a constant heading while banking the airplane left and right—but try doing them slowly. Aim the nose at a prominent point and keep it there while you slowly roll into a 45-degree bank in one direction, then the other. Do it as glacially as you can, and you’ll feel how much cross-control is required to avoid turning.

Another rudder coordination exercise is the falling leaf. Enter a power-off stall, hold the stick full aft, and try to keep the wings level with quick taps on the rudder pedals. It’s not easy.

If you’re not satisfied with your performance, good! You’ve got things to work on during your next flight.Get to know the pitch attitude that brings about your airplane’s best glide speed. (With flaps and landing gear up, it’s typically very close to level flight.) Knowing this will help you in an actual engine-out emergency because you’ll immediately set the proper pitch attitude for the airplane and avoid chasing the airspeed needle while pitching up, then down.

When you return to an airport, practice a few go-arounds before you actually land the airplane. Do the go-arounds at progressively lower altitudes as you get back in the groove.

And when you do decide you’re all done flying, let the games continue on landing. Make each touchdown an accuracy landing. Keep it on the centerline, and if it’s got a nosewheel, do a wheelie and keep that front tire from touching down as long as practical.

If you’re not satisfied with your performance, good! You’ve got things to work on during your next flight. And when you do feel sharp, sign up for a flight review so you’ll be good to go for 24 more months. With any luck, that period won’t include any more forced downtime.

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