Plan Now to Avoid Winter Skill Fade

If you are fortunate enough to live in a region where GA flying does not require hibernation during the winter months, you may not need this advice. However, for the many GA pilots who will be doing little or no flying over winter, these recommendations are important.

The Challenge of Skill Fade

Skill fade is an ongoing concern in the airline and business aviation sectors. Even pilots who fly regularly must address the risk of losing proficiency in procedures that are used infrequently, such as aborted takeoffs and landings or handling engine power loss during takeoff. To counteract this, airlines and business aviation require regularly scheduled recurrent training in advanced simulators to keep skills sharp. When a pilot is grounded for a period, there is a greater risk of overall skill fade, necessitating longer training sessions and refreshers with professional instructors and sophisticated simulators.

General Aviation Pilots: Unique Challenges and Solutions

Most GA pilots do not have access to these resources. However, this does not mean that we must just take our chances come spring.  Instead, now is the time to create a plan to stay mentally engaged with aviation throughout the winter.

Identifying and Using Available Resources

The concept of “using all available resources” applies directly to this challenge. Begin by listing the resources you can realistically access. Consider whether there is a motion simulator like a Redbird available locally. If not, desktop simulation devices or software such as Microsoft Flight Simulator or X-Plane on your computer can be valuable tools. Additionally, there is a wealth of online videos and training courses from reputable providers, many of which are free. Excellent training manuals are also accessible online from the FAA, such as the Pilots Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge, the Airplane Flying Handbook, and the Risk Management Handbook. Do not overlook the POH or AFM for the airplane you typically fly. Reading them thoroughly will almost certainly reveal new or forgotten information. Resources can include some “armchair flying” sessions where you can mentally run through checklists or fly that instrument approach.

Creating a Realistic Training Plan

Once you know the resources available to you, it is important to develop a written plan. Be realistic in your approach—an overly ambitious plan is likely to be abandoned, similar to an overly enthusiastic exercise regimen. Aim to select two or three training tasks per week, with each session lasting about an hour. Vary the activities to keep things interesting. Treat your plan as a minimum. If you find the training enjoyable, feel free to do more, but be cautious of burnout. If you struggle to fit everything in, scale back rather than give up entirely. As with exercise, doing anything is better than doing nothing.

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Gene Benson has had a lifetime of aviation experience.  He has lived and breathed aviation from his first official flying lesson at the age of 14, to his first solo on his sixteenth birthday, to his 8,000 hours of flight instruction given. He has served as the Dean of Aeronautics for an aviation college, as an instructor for a major domestic airline, consultant to several foreign and domestic airlines, and to business aviation.  His academic background includes degrees in psychology, education, and business. His specialty now is the application of human factors to error reduction and safety in aviation and other industries. He is presently a FAASTeam Lead Representative and has recently served as a member of the NBAA Safety Committee. View Gene’s work at genebenson.comand https://www.vectorsforsafety.com/.