New Years Resolution

Editorial Staff

Thursday, July 31, 2014 at 12:00 AM ET

Verified

Key Takeaways:

Pilots often struggle to maintain proficiency with complex modern avionics and basic instrument skills due to a lack of "spare time" for practice and brush-ups.
This lack of currency can lead to a dangerous cycle of reluctance to fly, skill degradation, and potentially stopping aviation activities altogether.
The author urges pilots to commit to actively refreshing their knowledge and skills on advanced technology and general flying to ensure continued safety, proficiency, and enjoyment, highlighting his own efforts to get back in the air.

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Trust me. I’m painfully aware it’s July already. And that’s really part of the point. I’ve got to fly more often, something I vowed to do at the top of the year.

More years ago than I’ll admit in print, I started a project to renovate the instrument panel in my Cessna 340. You see, I already had most of the avionics, and with a background in electronics, well, it just seemed natural to do it myself. You know the kind of project—the kind where it’s done in “spare time.”