[Toobuilder]

We are a bunch of people with wildly varying experience, skills, personalities, and values, but one common thread we share is that we can all learn something new/improve our flying skills. Not one of us is as good as we can be. Most of us talk about going for advanced ratings, aerobatic instruction, etc, and can agree that this has significant value in increasing safety and our statistics. However, I think that we are slow to take on this training because much of it takes time and money ? so we generally do little or nothing in the meantime.

?So let?s start smaller.

I propose that each of us finds one specific, measurable task that we feel we need to master, post it up, then come back and update your post when the task is firmly in your ?skills toolbox?. Just to keep this from getting too broad, pick one thing that you can accomplish relatively short term, like say within the next 30 days.

As a highly personal choice, the selected skill will vary among all of us - so we will not judge the relative merit or difficulty ? we only want to support our fellow pilots and provide a measure of good natured accountability. Who knows, this might develop into a competition to see who can grab the most new tools!

So it does not matter if it is landing on the first thousand feet of a runway, holding altitude within xx feet on a cross country or recovering from a spin... It's what YOU think YOU need. Start your thread with a positive mission statement: I will master?? Make it specific, and make sure you can identify when it is ?mastered? (measurable). We don?t need proof; just let us know you consider it ?in your toolbox?.

To get the ball rolling:

I will master coordinated, inverted flight; straight and level and standard rate turns, maintaining altitude within 100 feet. (Edit: That's not 100 feet AGL - just 100 feet!)

I HATE inverted flight!

?I?ll update the post when it?s ?in the box?

Anyone else?

 

[pierre smith]

Sure..

Change that to hold within 50'....the next level...commercial pilot requirements.

Headings within 5 deg...comm requirements.

ALWAYS keep the runway centerline between your legs....takeoff or landings.

You'd be surprised to see how few guys can do these three!

Best,

 

[humptybump]

Pierre - I totally agree. Those three are high on my "skills to reclaim" list. I've gotten sloppy with so few flight hours over the past few years. They're easy to work on as part of every flight.

 

[Toobuilder]

Come on people, it's not that hard...

Change that to hold within 50'....the next level...commercial pilot requirements.

Headings within 5 deg...comm requirements.

ALWAYS keep the runway centerline between your legs....takeoff or landings.

You'd be surprised to see how few guys can do these three!

Best,

Pierre,
I agree that these are good tasks to master ? but they only belong in this thread if they are things YOU need to master. Since you are a commercial Ag pilot, I?m guessing that you are talking about ?the other guy?. We have enough threads about the other guy ? this one is about taking direct, personal responsibility for safety. So how about it Pierre ? there must be SOMETHING on that -10 that you want to do better? How about joining me in making a commitment to improvement?... Just one, specific, verifiable task.

And that goes for the other 172 people who looked at this thread and did not post. Maybe you are just lurkers who never post ? understandable ? BUT, if any of you are ?regulars?, particularly if you have been posting in the ?Safety? section, shame on you! How about instead of spending your time trying to interpret the flawed metrics put out by the FAA, we latch onto the one that is 100% accurate ? the fact that each one of us is not as good as we can be.

So how about it ? Quit whining, and make a difference!

Start your post with ?I WILL MASTER??

 

[bkilby]

I will attempt to master negotiations with my wife to see if I can get out to the airport more.

 

[sandifer]

I HATE inverted flight!

Most people do at first. But then somehow your body and mind get used to it and you hardly notice a difference between "hanging from the straps" and flying upright. "I hate inverted flight" becomes, "I hate inverted turns" becomes "I hate outside loops/outside snaps" becomes "I hate how I can't get my outside vertical snaps up to stop dead nuts on the roll fraction!".

 

[krw5927]

OK, I'll bite. As a low(er) time pilot who's only flown tricycle gear aircraft and building a 9A, I know that I'm not as good with rudder control as I want to be. I think a great way to get my all-too-often lazy legs to be a little more lively on the rudder would be to get some dual instruction in a taildragger. So, I will master taildragger control (as much as one ever really MASTERS a taildragger - those things are just crazy....)

One other area I know I need to work on is crosswind landings. Of course here in Kansas our idea of light winds is another's hurricane. My crosswind landings are acceptable, but I was taught and still use the slip (cross-controlled) final approach rather than a crab. Recently I had the privilege of logging some dual-received time with a retired captain from the big airlines who explained to me several reasons he thought a crabbing approach was better, and while that's a subject for a whole other debate I agreed with him on enough points that I think it's another tool I should have in my toolbag. So I will master the crabbing crosswind approach and landing too.

 

[Toobuilder]

OK, I'll bite...

...I will master taildragger control...

...I will master the crabbing crosswind approach and landing...

OK, that's the spirit!

Now that you are "on the hook", we'll want to see you come back and update the post when it's "in the bag". When you do, we will all celebrate because our community is just a little safer.

Anybody else?

I see that 230 other viewers of this thread feel they have nothing more to learn as pilots.

 

[tcone1]

Some might think me DUMB but,

I will master formation acro to include loops, hammerheads and barrel rolls.

 

[Phlyan Pan]

Well my list is probably too long to post. But I'll put it this way.

I will master whatever the instructor says I need to master to get my BFR and get current again.

6 years out of the left seat is a long time, so I really can't even say what I need right now.

EDIT:

I managed to get a quick evaluation flight in last weekend (5/7/2011). The CFI said "You didn't scare me, so it shouldn't take that much to get you checked out." Also, he's got some work to do that he's going to let me trade toward time in the air. Seems like a great deal to me.

 

[Toobuilder]

One step at a time

Well my list is probably too long to post. But I'll put it this way.

I will master whatever the instructor says I need to master to get my BFR and get current again.

6 years out of the left seat is a long time, so I really can't even say what I need right now.

If each of our lists aren't as long as our arms, we are fooling ourselves. I can think of dozens of things I need right now. But just like building an airplane does not happen all at once, it starts with a single task. The reason we pick what we do is personal and does not need to be justified to anyone. The important point is that you are puting a stake in the ground with a specific goal, and making it happen. There is the pilot we are today, and the better, safer pilot we will be once we have collected this new skill.

Getting your BFR is a fine goal. Report back when you have it done.

 

[Toobuilder]

I will master formation acro to include loops, hammerheads and barrel rolls.

Who in the world would think that "dumb" skills to have? You are setting the bar very high for basic stick and rudder skills, situational awareness and teamwork, to name just a few.

If all pilots had those skills in their toolbox, our collective accident rate would drop completely off the radar!

Let us know when you're done.

 

[ccsmith51]

I am new to the RV world...

and a low time pilot with only about 450 hours, so I still have a LOT to learn.

But in the spirit of this thread I will master: 1) slow flight (in the neighborhood of 5 over stall); 2) stall recovery until it becomes reflexive; and 3) wheel and three point landings. Well, "mastering" landings in my -4 might be a very subjective term...

The main benefit to me of this thread is the idea of working on some aspect of flying every time I go up. Not to just go fly because I love to fly and putz around the sky, but to also improve my competence in one specific regime.

 

[pierre smith]

OK...

I will master my propensity to cheat, flying in and out of clouds during an ascent/descent while VFR.

Best,

 

[Toobuilder]

...The main benefit to me of this thread is the idea of working on some aspect of flying every time I go up. Not to just go fly because I love to fly and putz around the sky, but to also improve my competence in one specific regime.

That's exactly it. Set a goal. Make it happen.

The value of this thread is that we are more likely to actually stick to the goal if we put it out there for all to see.

It's informal "accountability".

 

[rvmills]

Some might think me DUMB but,
I will master formation acro to include loops, hammerheads and barrel rolls.

Well you know I don't think that...

I will master same...as your wingman, and with you as mine...

Deal?

Cheers,
Bob

Oh, and Michael, we won't ever be really done. Mastery (IMHO) is a continuum...I just want to be moving in the right direction. The guy that is mastering slow flight is doing just as important work as the guy mastering a hammerhead, as I'm sure you'd agree!

 

[Ron Lee]

I will improve the following (which may just be a recurrency issue)

1) Stalls/slow flight

2) Improve my approach to land speed. I may be 5 mph high. Otherwise my landings are overwhelmingly very good.

3) Practice my VFR into IMC contingency 180 degree options (hand flying and autopilot option). Will require safety pilot/instructor.

4) Practice GPS and ILS approaches even though I am not instrument rated but it is a viable option B/C/D in the rare event that I totally screw up preventable VFR into IMC situation.

5) Review Sparky Imerson's Mountain Flying book to see where I can improve in that flight regime.

6) Improve formation flying skills.

7) Print out and keep in airplane cheat sheets on things I don't have the brain cells to remember.

8) Establish a working lifetime for my PC-925 battery and replace prior to failure.

9) Consult my mechanic on FWF fuel and oil hoses to see if they should be preemptively replaced (before possible age related failure).

 

[Toobuilder]

Oh, and Michael, we won't ever be really done. Mastery (IMHO) is a continuum...I just want to be moving in the right direction.

No argument from me. I consider a task "mastered" if I know I can pull it out of the toolbox when needed... It may not be perfect in every respect, but it's safe, and it's second nature.

For example, I know that I can feel a stall coming in my airplane without even looking at the ASI - I've saved the day more than once by reflex due to this skill. On the other hand, I still have not "mastered" the 3 point landing in my airplane (or the -8, for that matter). I certainly understand the concept, and can even pull one out of my back pocket once in a while, but I can't do it every time. It's on the long list of skills that I need to master.

Also, to everyone else, thanks for stepping up. I'd like to remind you that there is a "part 2" to your post... You need to come back and report when you feel you have aquired this new skill. Some of you guys posting a long list are really setting the bar high. IMHO, we should keep these goals limited to something we can reach in a relatively short time - Like in the next few flying weekends. Otherwise, we are likely to overwhelm ourselves and simply do nothing. Remember, there's no reason we can't post one goal, reach it, then post a new goal. This is not a one shot deal.

 

[Toobuilder]

I will improve the following (which may just be a recurrency issue)...

Ron, I'd like to present a good natured challenge to you - please don't take this as a negative:

Can you rephrase your goals in a way that clearly establishes the new standard you want to meet? The term "improve" is a fine goal, but for the purposes of this skill building exercise, we need clearly defined exit criteria.

For example, you want to reduce your approach speed by 5 MPH; that?s fairly specific, but what exactly do you want to do with your formation skills? maintain position within xx feet?

If I let you get by with a goal of "improve", you just wouldn't respect me.