Yep. I was off for 23 years just like you. I found the actual flying
skills came back very quickly, just a few hours. The instrument proficiency
took longer, another 8 hours. The thing that threw me the most was the new
rules, new airspace designations, new requirements for talking to ATC (e.g.,
repeating all instructions instead of "Roger"). It's sorta like riding a
bike, you never really forget.

Good luck and have fun,
Rod
wrote in message
om...
My grandson just turned 15 and has a great interest in aviation, so I
decided to get legal and show him how much fun we could have in a
Piper Cherokee. After not flying for the past 23 years I got my
medical, found a local club with a good instructor and hope to start
flying on my own in the next few weeks.
I was a bit surprised at how rusty I had become after that length of
time even with 350 hours in my old log book. Getting back on the
ground can be VERY exciting.
Has anyone else started flying after many years of inactivity? Any
problems or interesting things you would like to share with me and the
group?
One thing I can say without reservation.........flying a small
aircraft is one of the greatest pleasures that anyone on this earth
can experience!