Page 11 - January 23

It’s Not a Pylon Race. It’s a Long Cross-Country.
Be aware though, experts are not made overnight. Accelerated courses are common in aviation, but never do they produce experts. True expertise is gained through years of deliberate practice. The process takes consistent efforts spread out over long periods of time. Massive efforts condensed into short periods of time can be highly effective for passing tests. But, the new-found knowledge must be put into immediate and consistent practice to “stick” long term. Even then, the accelerated trainee will only retain what there was time to learn in their short course of instruction. Deliberate practice must be added thereafter and it must be applied consistently, even increasingly, growing in both intensity and frequency, to reach levels that could be considered “expert.”
Too much for too long can create burnout and the desire to step away from an activity. In turn, that begins the erosion of skills and knowledge through disuse. Balance is a critical element to reaching expert levels. While your practice has to be deliberate, intense and consistent, it must be conducted in a way that doesn’t lead to extreme psychological or physical fatigue and burnout. Pace yourself to keep energy and motivation in reserve, in order to keep deliberate practice sessions frequent enough to develop your skills and knowledge, but sized and spaced appropriately to keep you wanting to come back for more on subsequent days. KA
Copyright 2023, Matthew McDaniel
First publication rights granted to The Village Press for King Air magazine
All other rights reserved by copyright holder
Matthew McDaniel is a Master & Gold Seal CFII, ATP, MEI, AGI, & IGI
and Platinum CSIP. In 33 years of flying, he has logged over 20,000 hours total, over 5,800 hours of instruction-given and over 2,500 hours in various King Airs and the BE-1900D. As owner of Progressive Aviation Services, LLC (www.progaviation.com), he has specialized in Technically Advanced Aircraft and Glass Cockpit instruction since 2001. Currently, he is also a Boeing 737-Series Captain for an international airline, holds 8 turbine aircraft type ratings, and has flown over 120 aircraft types. Matt is one of less than 15 instructors in the world to have earned the Master CFI designation for 10 consecutive two-year terms. He can be reached at: matt@progaviation.com or 414-339-4990.
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KING AIR MAGAZINE • 9