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:

Consistent practice and repetition are essential for mastering flight skills and retaining knowledge, following the "Law of Exercise," particularly for critical maneuvers like takeoffs and landings.
Effective flight instructors explain the "why" behind required repetition, linking practice to official standards (ACS, syllabus) and real-world applications, which enhances retention and problem-solving.
Achieving proficiency means performing maneuvers to specific standards, not just completing them, with continuous practice being key to bridging the gap between simply "doing it" and "doing it well."

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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.