Page 44 - Volume 16 Number 10

NATIONAL BUSINESS AVIATION ASSOCIATION • focusFor Owner/Operators, Staying Sharp Requires More than CurrencyPilots operating light business airplanes in are different things. Time alone is not a goodmeasure of proficiency.”Lara recommends that pilots conduct an honest assessment of their skills prior to each flight. Rather than being discouraged if that assessment comes up lacking, pilots should use that opportunity to refocus on the task at hand.“Look at the world’s best athletes. Every one has at least one coach,” Lara said. “To fly at your best, you need to put a coach in your corner. That’s your CFI/I.”Staying with the fitness metaphor, flying with an instructor may also help pilots work “muscles” they normally wouldn’t, such as seldom-used localizer approaches, new WAAS GPS-based LPV approaches, or a night ILS. Many type clubs also offer specialized programs that fulfill some of these training needs, though that training is often geared toward aircraft-specific procedures.It’s also important that pilots fly more often than merely when on a business trip. “The difference between a pro and an amateur pilot is how you think, not whether you’re paid,” Higgins observed. “Proficient flying takes focus, takes effort – a commitment to the flying needed to reach that point. Every time you go, say to yourself: are you ‘here’ mentally? Are you prepared for the flight?”NBAA offers its members an additional resource of particular benefit to infrequent flyers, as part of its Light Business Airplane Flight Operations Template. The “Risk Assessment Tool: The Mirror” checklist provides simple Yes/ No guidance for operators on the most important factors related to safety, security and standard operating procedures, as well as information on qualifications and training. msupport of a company or business often donot adhere to a regular schedule. When days, weeks or even months pass between flights, it is extremely important for pilots to stress proficiency and competency in their flying, rather than simply maintaining currency.Much like maintaining a fitness regimen, extended time away from the cockpit may cause some skills and knowledge of procedures to atrophy from lack of use. “When you haven’t been flying for a while, you need to be sure you’re ready for the job,” noted Ray Higgins, a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)-designated examiner and mentor pilot for Higgins Aviation out of Spirit of St. Louis Airport (SUS) in Missouri.When asked about their general competency in the cockpit, many pilots cite their adherence to the standards laid out in Federal Aviation Regulation (FAR) Part 61. It’s important to note, however, that those requirements are only the absolute minimum standards requiredfor currency; maintaining proficiency, by going above and beyond the minimum, requires regular andfrequent exercise.“When you haven’t been flying for a while, you need to be sure you’re ready,” noted NBAA Safety Committee member James Lara, who flies a Beechcraft Baron for his consultant business. “The biggest thing is for the LBA pilot to recognize that training and proficiency, currency and competency42 OCTOBER 2012