What skills atrophy first?

Thanks a lot Chris are you insulting the people with 30 year layoffs or
don't you like bounce landings (3 touch and gos in one landing)?

Daniel

"Daniel L. Lieberman" wrote in message
...
Thanks a lot Chris are you insulting the people with 30 year layoffs or
don't you like bounce landings (3 touch and gos in one landing)?


I was not thinking of you specifically, but now that you mention it... :-)

As you know, I tell people the reason I land so badly is that I want to
encourage them to hurry up and learn so that they don't have to endure my
landings any more.

"Michael 182" wrote in message
news:Zw%fc.155251$K91.408307@attbi_s02...
Flew today for the first time in two months. I'm a 1000 hour pilot, so
it's
not as if I'm starting from scratch, but I really felt slow on every
thinking step. Had to refer to checklists to remember all the preflight,
startup, takeoff drills, which made me wonder what I had forgotten on
emergency and other checklists, so I reviewed them in the run up area.
Once
I got off the ground I was fine, and landings were no problem - probably
muscle memory takes over. So I guess, for me, the thing that atrophies
first
is procedures. Maybe a sign of age...

Michael

The last time I flew was 6 years ago. I hadn't flown in about 2 years at
that point. Like you, the procedures had gone kaput, but I wasn't a small
airplane, civil pilot anyway so didn't think too much about that. Like you,
I could fly the airplane fine...the CFI "said" he was impressed since I
hadn't flown a small (172SP) airplane since the late 1970's and wanted me to
go on...probably more for having a student than anything else lol. Unlike
what CJ posted above though, I didn't have any problems on the radio, flew
a couple of ILS approaches under the hood and the cross check was fine but
the thing that surprised me the most was not a lack of skill, but interest.
After about 5,000 hours of flying, I just had no interest in doing it
anymore. I was surprised, flying had been my life for a long time. But,
the fire just wasn't there anymore and it still isn't. I like to hang
around the newsgroups because so much of my life was tied up in flying, but
I have no desire to go do it anymore. Strange.

JB

"Jim Baker" wrote in
:


"Michael 182" wrote in message
news:Zw%fc.155251$K91.408307@attbi_s02...
Flew today for the first time in two months. I'm a 1000 hour pilot,
so
it's
not as if I'm starting from scratch, but I really felt slow on every
thinking step. Had to refer to checklists to remember all the
preflight, startup, takeoff drills, which made me wonder what I had
forgotten on emergency and other checklists, so I reviewed them in
the run up area.
Once
I got off the ground I was fine, and landings were no problem -
probably muscle memory takes over. So I guess, for me, the thing that
atrophies
first
is procedures. Maybe a sign of age...

Michael

The last time I flew was 6 years ago. I hadn't flown in about 2 years
at that point. Like you, the procedures had gone kaput, but I wasn't
a small airplane, civil pilot anyway so didn't think too much about
that. Like you, I could fly the airplane fine...the CFI "said" he was
impressed since I hadn't flown a small (172SP) airplane since the late
1970's and wanted me to go on...probably more for having a student
than anything else lol. Unlike what CJ posted above though, I didn't
have any problems on the radio, flew a couple of ILS approaches under
the hood and the cross check was fine but the thing that surprised me
the most was not a lack of skill, but interest. After about 5,000
hours of flying, I just had no interest in doing it anymore. I was
surprised, flying had been my life for a long time. But, the fire
just wasn't there anymore and it still isn't. I like to hang around
the newsgroups because so much of my life was tied up in flying, but
I have no desire to go do it anymore. Strange.

JB



I know not of what I speak, since I've only been behind the controls of a
plane twice in my life, but I read an article awile back that the
prescription for your afliction is a flight behind the controls of a
Piper Cub.....

Dunno, but it's probably worth a try :-)

--
ET

(future student pilot and future Sonex builder)


"A common mistake people make when trying to design something
completely foolproof is to underestimate the ingenuity of complete
fools."---- Douglas Adams

"ET" wrote in message
...
"Jim Baker" wrote in
:


"Michael 182" wrote in message
news:Zw%fc.155251$K91.408307@attbi_s02...
Flew today for the first time in two months. I'm a 1000 hour pilot,
so
it's
not as if I'm starting from scratch, but I really felt slow on every
thinking step. Had to refer to checklists to remember all the
preflight, startup, takeoff drills, which made me wonder what I had
forgotten on emergency and other checklists, so I reviewed them in
the run up area.
Once
I got off the ground I was fine, and landings were no problem -
probably muscle memory takes over. So I guess, for me, the thing that
atrophies
first
is procedures. Maybe a sign of age...

Michael

The last time I flew was 6 years ago. I hadn't flown in about 2 years
at that point. Like you, the procedures had gone kaput, but I wasn't
a small airplane, civil pilot anyway so didn't think too much about
that. Like you, I could fly the airplane fine...the CFI "said" he was
impressed since I hadn't flown a small (172SP) airplane since the late
1970's and wanted me to go on...probably more for having a student
than anything else lol. Unlike what CJ posted above though, I didn't
have any problems on the radio, flew a couple of ILS approaches under
the hood and the cross check was fine but the thing that surprised me
the most was not a lack of skill, but interest. After about 5,000
hours of flying, I just had no interest in doing it anymore. I was
surprised, flying had been my life for a long time. But, the fire
just wasn't there anymore and it still isn't. I like to hang around
the newsgroups because so much of my life was tied up in flying, but
I have no desire to go do it anymore. Strange.

JB



I know not of what I speak, since I've only been behind the controls of a
plane twice in my life, but I read an article awile back that the
prescription for your afliction is a flight behind the controls of a
Piper Cub.....

Dunno, but it's probably worth a try :-)

--
ET

(future student pilot and future Sonex builder)


"A common mistake people make when trying to design something
completely foolproof is to underestimate the ingenuity of complete
fools."---- Douglas Adams

You might be right ET. Maybe I just need to get as far from big, fast
aircraft as possible to enjoy flying again. I'll look around the area and
see if there's any Cubs available.

Thanks,

JB

prescription for your afliction is a flight behind the controls of a
Piper Cub.....

Not only for his affliction, but for almost anyone's, for almost any
ailment

all the best -- Dan Ford
email: (put Cubdriver in subject line)

The Warbird's Forum www.warbirdforum.com
The Piper Cub Forum www.pipercubforum.com
Viva Bush! blog www.vivabush.org

"Cub Driver" wrote in message
...

prescription for your afliction is a flight behind the controls of a
Piper Cub.....

Not only for his affliction, but for almost anyone's, for almost any
ailment

Thanks, but I'll go with the WACO YMF-5!!

Flew today for the first time in two months. I'm a 1000 hour pilot, so it's
not as if I'm starting from scratch, but I really felt slow on every
thinking step. Had to refer to checklists to remember all the preflight,
startup, takeoff drills, which made me wonder what I had forgotten on
emergency and other checklists, so I reviewed them in the run up area. Once
I got off the ground I was fine, and landings were no problem - probably
muscle memory takes over. So I guess, for me, the thing that atrophies first
is procedures. Maybe a sign of age...

Yes, I have this experience almost every spring. It's the checklist
that gets me. I stumble through it and fret that I've forgotten
something. (It is hell to sit in the back seat of a Cub with the
engine running and realize that you have not checked the fuel level.)

Once in the air, it is as if the horse that was sitting on my chest
has gotten up and wandered off.

all the best -- Dan Ford
email: (put Cubdriver in subject line)

The Warbird's Forum www.warbirdforum.com
The Piper Cub Forum www.pipercubforum.com
Viva Bush! blog www.vivabush.org

In article Zw%fc.155251$K91.408307@attbi_s02, Michael 182
wrote:

Flew today for the first time in two months. I'm a 1000 hour pilot, so it's
not as if I'm starting from scratch, but I really felt slow on every
thinking step. Had to refer to checklists to remember all the preflight,
startup, takeoff drills, which made me wonder what I had forgotten on
emergency and other checklists, so I reviewed them in the run up area. Once
I got off the ground I was fine, and landings were no problem - probably
muscle memory takes over. So I guess, for me, the thing that atrophies first
is procedures. Maybe a sign of age...

It is all in how you were taught or learned.
Most of us were taught and practiced the memorization method.
As we got older and more forgetful, we adopted the checklist method.
As flight becomes more infrequent, the checklist method would work if
we would just remember to read the list.
Anothertechnique is the flow method.
You key off of an action (throttle change, prior to taking the runway,
level off for cruise, turn off the runway, etc) which triggers you to
sweep from one side of the panel to the other, making the appropriate
switch/lever actions as you pass them. With the flow method, an
abreviatied checklist highlights only the necessary actions and
considerations.
Others have posted this as what the military teaches, I am learning by
reading John C Eckalbar's book, IFR: A STRUCTURED APPROACH.

"Michael 182" wrote in message
news:Zw%fc.155251$K91.408307@attbi_s02...
Flew today for the first time in two months. I'm a 1000 hour pilot, so
it's
not as if I'm starting from scratch, but I really felt slow on every
thinking step. Had to refer to checklists to remember all the preflight,
startup, takeoff drills, which made me wonder what I had forgotten on
emergency and other checklists, so I reviewed them in the run up area.
Once
I got off the ground I was fine, and landings were no problem - probably
muscle memory takes over. So I guess, for me, the thing that atrophies
first
is procedures. Maybe a sign of age...

This has been studied by psychologists. As we age the ability to control
multiple, parallel activities is what diminishes. This means we need to
prioritize tasks so we are sure to do what is most important, but may skip
something if need be. Remember: Aviate, Navigate, Communicate -- in that
order.