Practice Makes Pilots

Repetition remains the key to improving your skills.

Meg Godlewski

Tuesday, September 26, 2023 at 11:39 AM ET

Verified

[Credit: Shutterstock]

Key Takeaways:

Flight training emphasizes extensive repetition, governed by the "Law of Exercise," to transform initial clumsiness into proficient and well-retained skills, especially for critical maneuvers.
Effective instructors explain the purpose behind this repetition, linking specific practices and required knowledge to real-world applications, safety standards, and performance objectives.
True mastery means performing tasks to a defined standard, not just completing them, and learning is often enhanced by understanding the rationale behind maneuvers and even by making safe, instructor-supervised mistakes.

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Remember the first time you tried to taxi an airplane? You probably tried to steer with the yoke, inadvertently added brakes, and wallowed like a drunken goose.

By the second or third flight lesson, you were steering with the rudder pedals and used just enough power to avoid stomping on the brakes. By the third lesson, you used the perfect amount of power to avoid the need for brakes, and you even applied appropriate crosswind correction.