Keeping Current

Well done that man! I think you have done exceeding well given the vagaries of UK weather. Just goes to show that it can be done.

I think you’ve hit the nail on the head there Melvyn. It’s the quality not the quantity that counts. Having said that I would still not feel I was keeping on top of things on less than 24 hours a year.

I’ve done nearly sixty this year so far and each flight brings something new, usually a different type of landing!

MH

It actually depends on what you do with your twelve hours a year. If you just bimble around the local area taking your friends on sight seeing trips then it is not enough at all. If, however, you use the time to practice basic skills, like maintaining height, keeping a lookout, practicing circuits, PFLs, EFATO, stalling, slow flight, flapless and glide approaches then your 12 hours will be of far more use to you. There are plenty of pilots who fly fairly regularly who should consider their own futures (like the one that nearly collided with me on finals at Popham when he disregarded the standard procedure) and there are others that fly less who are much safer.

It is not how much you have but how you use it.

I think you’ve hit the nail on the head there Melvyn. It’s the quality not the quantity that counts. Having said that I would still not feel I was keeping on top of things on less than 24 hours a year.

It actually depends on what you do with your twelve hours a year. If you just bimble around the local area taking your friends on sight seeing trips then it is not enough at all. If, however, you use the time to practice basic skills, like maintaining height, keeping a lookout, practicing circuits, PFLs, EFATO, stalling, slow flight, flapless and glide approaches then your 12 hours will be of far more use to you. There are plenty of pilots who fly fairly regularly who should consider their own futures (like the one that nearly collided with me on finals at Popham when he disregarded the standard procedure) and there are others that fly less who are much safer.

It is not how much you have but how you use it.

I agree that with something something like an instrument rating 60 hours ould probably be necessary to keep the skills sharp but at the other end of the scale I would think maybe 24 hours in 12 months would be sufficient to keep on top of day VFR, I personally wouldn’t consider myself current on less. I certainly don’t think that 13 hours in 24 months is sufficient

I fly a very simple aircraft. Not even any flaps to worry about.

For this reason we have no hard and fast rules about currency. I’ve been known not to fly for four or five months and then requalify myself – the three landings required by the CAA (Usually more like five or six) before setting off cross country or cross channel.

After a while you will know your own limits. Suffice to say club aircraft rules are generally more strict than are really necessary.

This does not apply to complex types. Here the room for error is much greater and the need for currency that much greater too.

Moggy

Have been flying just 13 months and have 90 hours i47 of which were spent getting my PPL ,however it is pretty straightforward the more often I fly the better I fly.

Been flying since March 04 and fast approaching 100 hours over 18 months including the time spent getting my licence…

I think it depends what sort of flying he was doing. If you have an IMC rating and intend use it, it is important to keep current, otherwise you’ll quickly get yourself into trouble. I had a friend who gave up flying IMC after he seriously scared himself when he was taking his family for a flight and didn’t have another pilot with him to lighten the workload when it all started going horribly wrong. I flew with him a couple of times IMC, and it was obvious he was struggling.

For normal VFR flying, I don’t think you need as much. I’ve never done 60 hours in a year, though I have averaged from 40-50 hours, and felt quite comfortable.

This year has been different as I had an engine failure and lost my medical for seven months. It was rather daunting the first time I flew (with an instructor) after a five month lay-off, but actually the flight went OK – stalls, steep turns, instrument flying and some circuits. Since I’ve been able to fly myself again, everything is coming back, though my self-confidence took one hell of a knock. Just need practice now, to get back up to speed.

It probably helps that I fly from a full ATC airport (Southend), an unlicensed field with gliders, warbirds and jets (North Weald) and a very busy training field (Stapleford). Each has its own demands, but the skills one builds up are comlementary.

I reckon I shall probably do about 20 hours this flying year. I think I will be reasonably safe. (The clubs have their own currency requirements anyway.) The important thing is to fly often, even if it is just circuits sometimes. If you are a member of a group and can share flight costs, that is even better. I recently did a three sector flight: NW-Bourn-Duxford-NW. Took just over an hour, had three landings and some QX navigation, saw some wonderful aircraft and did my confidence the world of good.

And don’t forget that the professionals have accidents too. Guys with thousands of hours, sim checks, CRM etc still come unstuck sometimes.

I’d love to do 60, 100, 150 hours a year, Sadly I can’t afford it. But if I feel that the flying I can afford is not enough and is making me dangerous, I’ll stop. One close shave with death while flying is enough for me.

YR

The sixty hours was his personel view on what he thought he needed to stay current not the legal requirement (thirteen hour/twenty four months).

Hi Joe,

While I find it hard to believe that the boss of the GA section of the CAA didn’t know the exact terms of the currency of his own license (mind you, he may have a very specific type that has a special requirement, who knows), I can tell you that, not owning an aircraft, I only managed to log between 30h and 40h a year (for very good years)… which is almost between 3 and 4 grand! That’s more than 2h a month on average, which I think is decent, though the main restriction is budget (1) and weather (2).

Cheers,
Steph