When You Go Back to Flight School, Don't Lose What You've Learned

FLYING offers some tips for anyone facing a pause in their pilot training so they can retain their aviation knowledge.

Tuesday, February 13, 2024 at 12:17 PM ET

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FLYING has a few suggestions to help you hang on to that aviation knowledge until the next time you can get into the air. [Adobe Stock]

Key Takeaways:

The article addresses "pumpkins," aspiring pilots who must pause their flight training, providing strategies to prevent the loss of aviation knowledge and skills during a break.
Recommended activities to maintain proficiency include joining aviation clubs, utilizing FAA Safety Team (FAASTeam) resources for online courses and seminars, and regularly practicing flight planning, weather decoding, and aircraft performance calculations.
When returning to flight training, pilots should stay in contact with their flight school, determine their specific remaining requirements, set realistic expectations for skill retention, and diligently protect their logbook.

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“Do you have any pumpkins at your flight school?”

The term was coined by a co-worker during the first week of August to describe the private pilot candidates who were running out of time to complete their private pilot certificates before they headed back to high school or college in pursuit of nonaviation degrees. The message was that once the school year began they would not have the time or opportunity to complete their training. They had to be done, lest they turn into a pumpkin à la Cinderella’s coach.