What skills atrophy first?

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

"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...

"They once asked boxing great Willie Pep how an athlete could tell his
career was over. Willie said, "First the legs go, then the reflexes go, then
your friends go". My friends went first." -- Bob Uecker, _Catcher in the
Wry_".

"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...

Okay...all kidding aside...

You might want to try Ginkgo Biloba...it may be psychosomatic, but I find it
helps. IAC, it could just be fatigue as well.

Some people start feeling it earlier than others. My boss had me get some
training since he doesn't feel so sharp anymore -- he wanted someone along
for co-pilot. He's 67 years old and until last year he was flying a Citation
CJ as a single pilot.

I fly with a lot of older pilots (typecast, I guess) and pilots who have not
flown in a long time. A lot of these guys could fly the airplane in their
sleep, if they could just remember where they parked it. :-)

Radio skills go first, no question about it. People who have not been flying
a long time or who are nearing the end of their careers start looking for
any way they can to avoid talking on the radios. They will avoid airspace
and fly way out of their way just to keep off the radios. Cross country
planning skills go about the same time. Then they stop looking outside the
cockpit.

IFR becomes very difficult, if not downright impossible.

The skills they retain the longest are the mechanical skills. I have flown
with pilots who have not been behind the controls for twenty years and they
take off and land like they never stopped. But they can't get more than a
mile or two from the airport without being totally lost.

Age takes a toll on night vision, too. IFR scan slows down with both age and
lack of practice, as does knowledge of procedures and regulations.

"C J Campbell" wrote in message
...

good stuff snipped


Age takes a toll on night vision, too. IFR scan slows down with both age
and
lack of practice, as does knowledge of procedures and regulations.

Lack of practice is key. I have enjoyed the freedom and challenge of having
an inst. ticket, but unless my lifestyle changes in some way that allows far
more frequent practice, I'll probably not fly in any significant IMC again.

"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

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

Cross country
planning skills go about the same time. Then they stop looking outside the
cockpit.

A neighbor came over one time, and apropos nothing, she suddenly said:

"First they forget to zip up their pants.

"Then they forget to *unzip* their pants."



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
A neighbor came over one time, and apropos nothing, she suddenly said:

"First they forget to zip up their pants.

I've been doing that more and more often, lately. Why the heck is that?



--
Jim Fisher

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.