No wrapping paper required

I look forward to time away from work, my guys being back home, decorating a tree, and delighting in the absence of any gifts beneath it. There are presents, to be sure, but avoiding any holiday cleanup is merely a silver lining to the real joy. The gifts we exchange last well beyond what any tangible one ever could.

When the boys were small, I instituted a family policy of no physical gifts for birthdays and holidays. Rather, I let them pick an adventure and I would make it happen. Many times, they chose a football game, so we have traveled all over the country, often in our Beechcraft Bonanza, Niky, to see the San Francisco 49ers play ball. Niky has also facilitated a trip to the White House; a visit to Fredericksburg, Texas, to see a midget submarine (the only one in the continental United States); and a flight over the Badlands on our way to see Mount Rushmore, to name only a few from our treasure trove of family adventures.

Education marks another gift theme, as we have taken classes in ceramics, woodworking, cooking, foraging for mushrooms in the woods nearby, and last year we even scored some pointers while in Dublin on the proper way to drink a stout at the Guinness factory. Learning is always fun but sharing those experiences is priceless.

As a designated examiner, I often give suggestions for ways that applicants can make the most of their license to learn. For starters, I encourage pilots to give themselves a self-critique at the end of every flight the way I do myself—I can always find some skill that could use some honing. That way, I’m always growing as a pilot and not stagnating, or worse. Sometimes, what I need is just a little practice by myself. Other times, I seek out training that moves my flying to the next level. As a gift-giving season approaches, I’ll share some of the recommendations I give most often after practical exams.

Get an instrument rating.

Many private pilot applicants fly within ACS standards but lack the consistency that inspires confidence in passengers. To them, I suggest obtaining an instrument rating where they will learn to fly with greater precision. While it’s not a ticket that ensures the ability to fly on any day, using an airplane to travel, as I do with my family, is more reliable and less stressful when flying in the IFR system.

Take a ‘real’ IFR course.

Sometimes training for the instrument rating is hyper-focused on flying approaches to airports but that’s just one small part of a trip. If yours gave the departure and enroute phases shorter shrift, then finding an instructor willing to take a several-day trip around your region of the country or beyond can instill confidence. My friend and colleague, Doug Stewart (just named to the CFI Hall of Fame), devotes a week or two of his time in showing a pilot how his personal airplane may be used reliably and safely for business and personal travel. And they have a lot of fun doing it.

Try a mountain flying course.

Each year we see pilots who spend most of their time flying around flatter parts of the country run into trouble when they fly in the Rockies. When my son and I visited Colorado a few years back, and he was stuck in a meeting, I gifted myself a mini course out of the Rocky Mountain Metro Airport. Reading about density altitude is valuable but witnessing the performance degradation—and the ways to optimize that performance—makes those lessons stick.

Get some spin training.

Here’s another topic about which you can read all day long and still be shocked in the airplane. During ground school for my spin course, I show many spin videos before we even preflight the airplane. Still, after the first spin, a common remark is, “Wait, you didn’t say it was going to be like that!” I was always glad that spin training began the first flight after I earned my private certificate as it gave me confidence in my everyday flying. Most people who come to train with me aren’t looking for a thrill in an airplane; rather, they are afraid to stall an airplane. I lead people over the edge so they better appreciate what it looks like, and they can better stay away from it in everyday flying.

Get a glider rating.

When every one of your landings is an “engine-out” how can that not be the best training ever? My own rating years ago was one of my favorite aviation gifts ever. While even a trainer boasts a glide ratio roughly twice that of a typical general aviation aircraft that experiences an engine failure, knowing that you have just one chance to land on the runway provides an impressive, and even fun, challenge.

Earn a tailwheel endorsement.

If operating on the centerline and maintaining directional control seems tough in a Piper Cherokee, then you need to fly a Piper Cub. Like landing a glider, ground operations, takeoffs, and landings in a tailwheel aircraft offer little room for error. Flying my own airplanes became easier after earning a tailwheel endorsement in a Cub. And transferring those skills to a Cessna 185 Skywagon, with its 285-horsepower engine, upped them even more.

Learn your new advanced avionics.

If you’ve ever pushed the buttons on your fancy new panel and merely “hoped” that the airplane got the message, you know it’s not a good feeling. I’ve been there (See “Rebirth Reflections,” December 2023 AOPA Pilot) and availing myself of an expert who specialized in my avionics package allows me to optimize the use of my panel and travel with confidence.

For CFIs, learn something new.

I’ve taught flying and math for so many years, it can be easy to forget what it’s like to feel overwhelmed or anxious. I laugh when I recall the first time I saw the panel of my Cessna 150 trainer, I wondered how I would ever learn what all those dials did. But that anxiety can be the reason that a student drifts away from aviation. Several years ago, I sat in on a senior-level English course on American novels taught by my colleague Tam Carlson at the university. While I struggled to make contributions in class, Carlson ensured I felt as though I belonged there. So, when I catch myself thinking as an instructor or examiner, “How can this be so hard?” I bite my tongue, remember what it’s like to first learn and readjust my attitude so I send the correct message.

There are many other educational opportunities that would make a great holiday gift, and most of these can be structured to count as a flight review. I often advise pilots to find something that scares you the most and train for it in a safe, controlled environment. You’ll be giving your passengers the best intangible of all—your increased proficiency and safety as pilot in command.
Catherine Cavagnaro teaches aerobatics at UOS and is the Gaston Swindell Bruton Professor of Mathematics at Sewanee: The University of the South.