“Am I too old to fly?” That’s a question we all hope to be around to ask some day.
Almost a year ago, a Baron 58P owner contacted me and arranged his recurrent training for the first week of October of this year. When I checked with him in September, he told me he still wanted to fly with me, and his insurance company recognizes me for his annual 58P-specific training requirement. I happily took time to conduct his Flight Review and Instrument Proficiency Check (IPC).
After the usual introductions, I begin a training flight briefing by asking the pilot about his or her goals for the session. My client said he felt rusty on hand-flying and visual maneuvering. He had not flown much in the past year and the less he flies the more he uses the autopilot. He needed flight review and IPC endorsements to satisfy his insurance carrier, but he also knew he needed to earn them—especially the IPC, which, since the Airman Certification Standards (ACS) have been “incorporated by reference” into the Federal Air Regulations, means he had to demonstrate proficiency to checkride standards on a long list of “Tasks” from the Instrument Airplane ACS.
Most tellingly, my student added: “What I really need is your honest evaluation of whether I still have what it takes to fly a 58P. Am I too old to fly?” That surprised me because (1) the pilot doesn’t look much older than me, and (2) most pilots who need to ask that question…don’t openly ask that question.
We briefed the flight to occur in two parts: first, visual maneuvering and traffic patterns, in which I would see his strengths and help him improve on any weaknesses; and second, after a break for lunch and additional briefing, work toward an IPC unless the first session demanded more focus on basic flying skills. He lives less than an hour from Wichita, so we could get back together another day for his IPC if we didn’t have time to get through all the required tasks that day or if he needed additional work to perform to ACS standards. My client liked the plan.
Validation
“I want you to fly as if you are alone in the airplane,” I told the pilot. Especially with pilots experienced in their airplane—he has owned it for over 20 years and flown annually with many of the big names in 58P training—a large part of a Flight Review is confirming that the way the pilot flies is both safe and effective at getting desired performance. “If the way you do things is safe and gets the job done,” I told him, “we don’t need to try to change anything.” I might demonstrate a different technique if I think there’s an easier or more effective way, but he would be free to adopt it or not. “More than anything else with an experienced pilot,” I concluded, “I’m looking for safe, precise and consistent performance. We’ll work to make you even more precise, but mainly we’ll validate the way you currently fly.” I added, “safe, precise and consistent are good criteria to answer your question about being too old to fly as well.”
After preflight, all before-takeoff checks and voicing a departure risk assessment and emergency plan, we took off. For the next hour and 45 minutes, we did standard rate and steep turns and high angle of attack maneuvers. We focused on engine failure from various airspeeds and attitudes, in and out of turns—emphasizing PUSH the nose to the horizon for Blue Line speed (VYSE, best single-engine rate of climb) and HOLD heading with rudder, “fly the airplane” to provide the time to complete the Engine Failure in Flight memory steps. We practiced precise pitch references for Blue Line speed in a Baron: on the horizon before propeller feathering, seven degrees up after feathering. Our first flight concluded with a series of visual takeoffs and landings, including a go-around. The pilot was a little imprecise at first. But his performance improved markedly as he regained confidence in his command of the P-Baron.
After the break he was in his element, instrument procedures. He flew accurately and confidently using the autopilot, hand-flying with the flight director, and partial panel. I showed him the use of the Go-Around button for its named purpose and also as a reference for takeoff and for the single-engine Blue Line attitude once a propeller is feathered. Both using the “GA” button and predictable Blue Line attitudes were things he never learned in over two decades of training in this airplane, he told me.
As the propellers ticked to a stop at the end of our flight I told my client, “You are definitely not too old to fly this airplane.” Debriefing in the FBO I asked him to rate his performance and he gave it a “C+,” a little better than average. I told him I’d call it a “B” in the context that “average” means the ability to fly the airplane to the minimum standards of the pilot certificate and ratings he holds—a Private Pilot, by the end of the first session he was flying closer to Commercial Pilot tolerances. He summed up his weaknesses and his strengths when asked, and we reviewed the lessons learned on this flight. I confidently endorsed his logbook, and he immediately asked to schedule for another check of his abilities next year.
Second opinion
What if, however, the pilot didn’t score a “C,” that is, did not fly safely, precisely or consistently? What if you schedule a Flight Review and you know you didn’t fly well, or worse yet, you think you’ve done a passible job but your flight instructor disagrees?
Don’t dismiss the suggestion outright. We all need confirmation that we’re safe to fly. The older we get the more frequently we need an objective review. Eventually everyone’s skills will wane. It might be age, your skills may have atrophied from lack of use, or you might have just had a bad day. But never say “you’re wrong, I did just fine.” Trust me, it’s not easy for a flight instructor to tell a student he or she has major deficiencies, so the CFI means it. You need more information.
Get specifics. Start with your performance and the objective standards. Did you land long or short? Could you not hold altitude or heading? Did you bust instrument minimums? Do you not know the immediate action items of an emergency procedure? The good news is that these types of discrepancies can usually be fixed with additional training…unless you have cognitive or motor skills decline from age or other health factors, or an attitude that may or may not be age related. Ask your instructor to quantify your specific deviations from Airman Certification Standards on that flight, and discuss ways to improve.
Talk subjectively. Yes, subjective evaluation is also valid: “you were behind the airplane,” “you hesitated to go around when needed,” “your landings weren’t consistent,” “you seemed uncertain or confused.” These “soft” pilot skills may indeed point to age-related issues. They may also be the result of temporary or chronic health issues not related to age. They may simply be due to lack of recent experience or gaps in your earlier training—“rust” that can be removed. Have this conversation with the instructor.
Get a second opinion. If you receive a bad report from your doctor, it’s common to seek a second opinion. The same works with flight instruction. I can argue it either way: fly with the same flight instructor all the time so he/she can see trends in your performance over time, or fly with different instructors to reduce familiarity and support objectivity…and to be exposed to new ideas and techniques even if you have a lot of experience. If you failed to meet objective standards, schedule more training on those areas with the same instructor or another one—a second opinion on those objective items. If your instructor won’t endorse you for subjective reasons, honor that opinion for now but seek out another instructor—preferably one with whom you’ve never flown—to see if that CFI shares the first instructor’s opinion. If multiple instructors are telling you the same thing it’s time to strongly consider what they say.
Data-driven proficiency
From my experience the fact the pilot asked if he’s too old to fly suggests he is not. But “Am I too old to fly?” asks the wrong question. What you need to know is, “Do I safely, precisely and consistently fly the airplane?” There’s no objective age limit. Sometimes, you can improve lagging performance. Sometimes, you may no longer have it in you. It’s not just about age; it’s about your ability to command the airplane.
