Instructor Report: Continuing education

Federal aviation regulations outline requirements for ongoing education for private pilots, but the legal minimum is not enough to stay proficient and grow as a pilot. Performing a flight review every 24 calendar months is analogous to thinking you can be socially acceptable bathing once every two years. Pilots employed by air carriers are required to have recurrent training, typically every six months. Corporate pilots re-train every six to 12 months. Holders of a type rating requiring two pilots need to reup their knowledge and skill annually. It is a safe bet that all that systematic training is a key reason why the accident rate for scheduled airlines and corporate aviation is so good.

To enjoy flying and be safe, learning must not stop once a pilot is certificated. Rather, passing a checkride is the starting point for continuing education. Fortunately, the FAA as well as organizations such as AOPA provide excellent materials for staying proficient through ongoing learning.

Consider the FAA’s Wings Program, which is easily accessed via FAASafety.gov and contains hundreds of tutorials for improving piloting acumen. Based upon the premise that proficient pilots enjoy safer and more stress-free flying experiences, Wings offers a roadmap to greater enjoyment and utility for aviators who do not participate in the more structured environment of corporate and airline pilots.

Wings is a means for satisfying the requirements of FAR 61.56—the mandatory flight review. The more compelling benefit of the Wings program, however, is using its resources to construct a personalized program of continuing education.

Customize your continuing education: Being aloft as pilot in command challenges a pilot’s abilities in risk management, knowledge, and skill.
Customize your continuing education: Being aloft as pilot in command challenges a pilot’s abilities in risk management, knowledge, and skill. Wings courses offer an excellent means for addressing the issues present in each flight.

Start by searching the vast collection of Wings topics and downloading one or more of the tutorials on aeronautical decision making (ADM). More than smooth stick handling or total recall of the FARs, good decisions are the signs of a good pilot. In particular, consider the “3-Ps” of managing risk—Perceive the risk, Process information that assesses the risk, and once aloft, Perform in ways that mitigate or eliminate the risks. Within each of these “Ps” are memory joggers that provide a path for gathering and applying essential information. ADM provides a solid foundation for building a program of continuing education.

When addressing perceived risks, consider the elements that impact safe flight—Pilot, Aircraft, Environment, and External factors. The memory jogger PAVE works well, provided we accept “V” as representing enVironment. Next, process the information used to perceive or evaluate the risks, using the memory jogger CARE, where “C” represents the Consequences of what was obtained during preflight activities, “A” represents the Alternatives available to the pilot, “R” represents Reality (what is the reality of the situation, not what the pilot hopes will be present), and “E” is an additional emphasis that External factors are critical in managing risk.

The final memory jogger in the “3-P” model is DECIDE, where the first “D” alerts the pilot to Detect what is happening—detect the actual weather, detect trends in engine instruments such as increasing oil temperature and decreasing oil pressure, and more. In other words, maintain situational awareness by detecting what is happening as the flight unfolds. The letter “E” reminds the pilot to Estimate the impact of what is being detected. Reduced visibility and lowering clouds foretell weather being worse than forecast; increasing oil temperature and decreasing oil pressure foretell engine problems or engine failure. The letter “C” prompts the pilot to consider the Choices available for mitigating or eliminating the risks of what has been detected. Next, the letter “I” stands for Identifying the best choice, and the second “D” alerts the pilot to Do that best choice. Finally, the last “E” reminds the pilot that all actions must be Evaluated to determine if the desired results are being achieved. If not, the DECIDE process must be used again to mitigate or eliminate risk. Bottom line: Once aloft, the pilot must perform. The PIC never gives up!

Nor should a pilot stop learning. For expanded fulfillment and peace of mind, develop a personal program of continuing education. The FAA’s Wings program, with its vast array of informational materials, provides an excellent way to tailor a program that addresses your needs to maintain proficiency.

John W. Olcott is an airline transport pilot, CFII, and remote pilot, as well as former president of the National Business Aviation Association.