Finding Those Little Moments of Pilot Mastery

Answering the question: How proficient am I?

Wednesday, September 17, 2025 at 09:00 AM ET

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To gain great satisfaction when you demonstrate pilot mastery and to detect when you need to focus time and effort on education and proficiency, look for 'little moments of mastery' on every flight.[Credit: Leonardo Correa Luna]

Key Takeaways:

The article advocates for continuous pursuit of piloting "mastery," defined as confident and consistent aircraft control, a concept from older FAA standards.
Pilots can gauge and improve their proficiency by identifying and striving for "little moments of mastery" during every flight.
These "moments" include specific demonstrations of precision, such as adhering to the 70/50 takeoff rule, maintaining altitude within 20 feet, proactive communication with ATC, and practicing emergency procedures by touch.
Consistently achieving these precise micro-goals serves as a benchmark for high performance and indicates areas where further practice or instruction may be needed for safety and ongoing proficiency.

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The old FAA Practical Test Standards (PTS)—now superseded by the Airman Certification Standards (ACS)—included a statement in its notes to examiners that was the guiding philosophy of whether a candidate performed well enough to pass a practical test: The candidate for a pilot certificate or rating “must demonstrate mastery of the aircraft, with the successful outcome of each task never seriously in doubt.”

This Article First Appeared in FLYING Magazine

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