In a classic article from the magazine’s archives, FLYING’s Tom Benenson took a look at pilot proficiency. He questioned which theoretical pilot is safer, a 10,000-hour pilot who has flown only 20 hours in the last year or a 200-hour pilot who has flown frequently in the last month. He provided insights regarding the FAA’s minimum proficiency requirements, and questioned whether it’s prudent to apply these minimums in practice.
At no point did Tom question the proficiency of someone who hasn’t soloed an airplane in 19 years. Mostly because it’s a stupid question, and also because anything resembling proficiency would have departed the brain sometime during the Bush administration. But also because those of us so to whom this question applies know damn well how rusty we are.
