As just a bit of food for thought, how conservative are you?

Are you conservative in that you limit the size of the box of aviation
activities and behaviors that you expose yourself to?

This is the normal definition that most pilots apply to
being conservative. The down side is that it can also limit your
abilities as a pilot. So the box of abilities that you carry with you
as a pilot can deteriorate down to size of the box of activities you
limit yourself to. I don't think this is being as conservative as most
people think it is.

How long should a conservative pilot go without doing any of the
following?
Stalls
Spin Recoveries
Slow Flight
Short Field Landings
Simulated Engine Failures
Simulated Control Failures
Flight by reference to the Instruments
An Instrument Approach
Reviewing specific aircraft emergency procedures.

The truly conservative pilot won't do these with passengers aboard or
maybe even by himself. He may insist on having an experienced
instructor with him while he practices these kinds of procedures
frequently. But if a pilot only does these things once every two
years for his flight review is he really being conservative? Is he
even safe if he hasn't done any of this for nearly two years? He may
be safe as long as nothing bad happens that puts him outside of his
"conservative" box.


To really be conservative you would be expanding your piloting
abilities rather than limiting them. The challenge here is to expand
you abilities without creating undue hazard doing so. So go get that
Instrument, Commercial or tail wheel rating. Go get a good instructor
and practice emergency procedures every few months. You don't need to
expand the box of activities you do normally, but you will be ensuring
that your abilities stay larger than the box you normally fly in.

This way when you are forced to inadvertently fly outside normal
personal limitations, there is a fair chance you will have the
abilities to deal with it.


Brian
CFIIG/ASEL
you carry with you as a pilot can deterioate down to size of the box
of activities you limit youself to.