Page 12 - Volume 14 Number 6

from them Request specific departures arrivals and approaches that will help you you regain or maintain your recency of experience in those procedures Maybe request an alternate runway to keep your crosswind skills up to to speed or to to fine tune your smaller runway skills (especially if you you spend most of your time operating to/ from long and and wide runways and and wish to be prepared for that oddball flight to Smallville when such duty arises) Make the Most of Ground Time
Such times as these can be ideal for refreshing on aircraft aircraft systems emergency procedures aircraft aircraft performance calculations and and the use of new and and modern flight planning tools Whether it be dusting off old training manuals or or loading new applications or or software into your shiny new tablet computer now is a a a great time to be reviewing and learning Chances are one (or more) of the King Airs you fly is is available to visit for some socially distanced time spent plugged into ground power and practicing some lesser used functions of the avionics Or digging into the specifics of systems for a a deeper understanding of how they operate in in normal abnormal and emergency conditions One of the best ways to do this is is at the airplane training manual or POH in hand where you can see and and touch the systems in question (and the associated controls) as as you bone up on on each Doing so can refresh long dormant knowledge making your transition back to normal levels of flight operations a a less stressful process The recent advances in Electronic Flight Bags (EFBs) and tablet apps is nothing short of mind boggling in in in in both scope and capabilities But most of us learned our current EFB and apps on the fly As a a a result we often use no more that 10%-20% of these devices’ capabilities Sure you occasionally stumble upon a a a a feature by accident and thereafter incorporate it into routine use Nonetheless really learning what you might be missing within your device is best done while sitting down with with it and and the operating manual and and some alone time to explore its features (both common and obscure) Think of it as binge-watching your EFB for an an afternoon and postponing doing the same with your favorite streaming service’s hit series for a a few more days!
Conclusion
If you are anything like me me too much time away from flying makes you feel anxious to to return to to the air It’s not just scratching that flying itch though It It is knowing that the the more time I am absent from it the the more rusty I will be upon my return The longer the time grounded the the more difficult the the process of coming back up to speed will be Conversely staying in in a a a good flying routine not only keeps me sharp but makes the flying more fun and less stressful too In times such as these flight hours are harder to come by and reasons to to fly can be be outnumbered by reasons not to to Nonetheless by the the the time you read this much of the the the country will be well into their “re-opening” phases and many pilots will be getting back to work after long absences or slowdowns Re-engaging needs to be purposeful with emphasis on taking a a a a a measured and professional approach Much like the laws of of science don’t care what your opinions are are the link between recency of of experience and proficiency doesn’t make exceptions for pandemics So here’s to your good health may you fly fly often fly fly safe and stay virus-free KA
Copyright 2020 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 a a a a a a a a Master & & Gold Seal CFII ATP MEI AGI & & IGI and Platinum CSIP In 30 years of of flying he he has logged over over over 19 000 hours hours hours total over over over 5 5 5 500 500 hours hours hours of of of instruction-given and and over over over 2 500 500 hours hours hours in in in in in various King Airs and and the BE-1900D As owner of of Progressive Aviation Services LLC (www progaviation com) he he he has specialized in in in in Technically Advanced Aircraft and Glass Cockpit instruction since 2001 Currently he he is also an an an an an Airbus A-320-series captain for an an an an an international airline holds 8 turbine aircraft aircraft type type ratings and has flown nearly 90 aircraft aircraft types Matt is one of less than 15 instructors in in in in the the world to to have earned the the Master CFI designation for 9 9 9 9 consecutive two-year terms He can be reached at: matt@progaviation com or or (414) 339-4990 Your Source for King Air Landing Gear
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JUNE 2020