AOPA Pilot Blog: Reporting Points

For some of us, flying is a means to an end. Others get weary with pattern work or flying to the same airport for the same meal just to stay current. Still others would settle for pattern work, but they can’t afford to fly as often as they’d like. That’s when pilots get creative.

Massachusetts pilot Michael R. Smith sent AOPA Flight Training magazine an article in which he described how he and two friends fell into a weekly routine that they dubbed “The Tuesday Night Flying Club.” It’s an uncomplicated arrangement that lets them swap legs and go someplace new for a good meal. But it’s taught them a lot about cockpit resource management.

I called Michael as we were preparing the July 2008 issue to see whether anything had changed since he sent us the article. Perhaps one of the group had purchased an airplane, changed up their portable GPS, or (perish the thought) dropped out of the club? Surprisingly, the answer was no. The three friends are still flying together, although Michael admits that family obligations get in the way more often than before. But the core Tuesday Night Flying Club is still in place, and will remain so. You know what they say: If it ain’t broke…

Now it’s your turn. What do you do to stay proficient? Tell us your ideas in the Comments section.

Tags: Jill Tallman

This entry was posted on Wednesday, June 4th, 2008 at 11:17 am and is filed under Coming Up In AOPA Flight Training, Jill Tallman. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.