How often do I need to fly ?

[PaulS]

If you’re going to respond, at least do so in a way that doesn’t misrepresent what I said.

Rory, I don't think I misrepresented what you said at all. You said that flying to Block Island for a bad cup of coffee is not your idea of fun, I think many pilots here would disagree with you, me included. I get it, it's expensive, especially if you can't afford it. You asked yourself why would I want to do that, fly in a small GA plane at 30,000 feet and then concluded you would rather fly commercial. Ok, good for you, but your post came across as derogatory to someone like me, who would love to do exactly that. It sounds like you are really not a fan of GA small plane flying, fine, maybe you should try a glider, it's all good.

 

[455 Bravo Uniform]

I’ll have a dram of Laphroig, neat.

 

[Kylepa28]

So to add to my thoughts, I am in the enjoyment class. I don't have any interest in doing it for a job. It would be purely the enjoyment of the act. I'd have to agree with some, that if I've forgotten some and I get to learn some stuff again, sobeit. Until I have my own Piper, flying as much as some is just not doable. If anyone in the Tucson Area wants some company, I'm your man!

 

[jaymark6655]

Longest I have gone was two months between passing my check ride and taking my family for a flight. I went out the day before and did pattern work, I thought I did really well. My instructor was with another student in the pattern and he said my landings looked too flat, no real flare at the end. I just know they were probably the smoothest landings I had ever done. The place I rent from requires at least an hour every 3 months or you have to go up with an instructor, my personal goal is an hour a week. During training, near the end I would have two week breaks due to weather and it seemed to have a small impact requiring some pattern work (~0.5 hour).

 

[JOhnH]

Early on in your flying career, you need to fly more to build muscle memory, and to make flying automatic. As you gain experience, you can spread your flights out more. When I started flying I realized that if I went more than a week, I forgot stuff and made simple mistakes. Later, I found that I could go 2 or 3 weeks without flying and still be "pretty" proficient. Then I lost my medical for a variety of reasons and excuses and had to stop flying.

Thirty years later, my wife decided to learn to fly. She had a similar experience. At first, if she didn't fly frequently, she got confused and made mistakes. Now she has around 1,000 hours and even if she doesn't fly for a month, she slides back into the groove easily. Much more than a month though and the rust starts to show.

 

[champ driver]

Kylepa28, at first try and fly as often as you can afford, whatever that frequency works out to be for you. Once a week is a good average for most people.
As others have said, at first you will lose some part of your skills faster as a low time pilot, as you gain experience, you won't lose them as quickly.
I suggest trying to network with other pilots around your airport. There may be ways you can share costs, or even just ride along. Although a ride along is not as fun and beneficial as flying yourself, it can help you retain at least part of your skills. Another idea may be to fly with an instructor maybe once every 6-9 or 12 months to brush up on certain skills.

 

[Timbeck2]

So to add to my thoughts, I am in the enjoyment class. I don't have any interest in doing it for a job. It would be purely the enjoyment of the act. I'd have to agree with some, that if I've forgotten some and I get to learn some stuff again, sobeit. Until I have my own Piper, flying as much as some is just not doable. If anyone in the Tucson Area wants some company, I'm your man!

Well, why didn't you say so?

 

[orange]

One idea that I had and will incorporate into my flying is making myself a reminder list of things that can be easily forgotten. Basically a checklist for things that may not necessarily be on a real checklist. Things that are easy to forget if you don't fly too often, like switching tanks every 30 minutes, retracting flaps before rotating on a touch and go, checking gyro against compass every 15 minutes since the older ones tend to recess, etc. Maybe break it up into sections like a real checklist. Review it before and have it handy during flight.

 

[denverpilot]

I have never in my life heard someone suggest that the cost of sailing is irrelevant.

Sorry, but several of the posts in this thread are patently ridiculous, unless they are written by people with limitless disposable income.

Nobody except those who print the money have a limitless supply of it. Your assertion was that having enough to fly over for a cup of coffee was somehow a problem.

My point was that all sorts of people drive boats around all day and pull up to a bar and buy a beer, and then drive them back from whence they came later. Sometimes after the beer wears off, and sometimes not. They don’t care about the cost at all, because they budgeted for it in their “drive boat to beer” budget. Same as the people who budget for their “fly airplane to coffee” budget.

So essentially it’s nobody else’s business anyway, and they’re similar. You were the one seemingly defending the boat operations over the airplane operations.

Nobody here is surprised at the price tag. Nobody on the boating forums is surprised about their price tags, either. We’re adults and can do the math.

If you don’t want to fly, don’t. If the marginal utility of flying to get coffee isn’t your thing, great. Go do something else.

 

[SkyDog58]

Dudes, I’m the kind of dude that likes to fly for fun and hang out with other dudes and dudettes of similar mindset especially the southeast dudes and dudettes though other flying dudes are ok as well. And if any non flying dude has an issue with it, they can kiss this dude’s butt.

 

[RyanB]

Dudes, I’m the kind of dude that likes to fly for fun and hang out with other dudes and dudettes of similar mindset especially the southeast dudes and dudettes though other flying dudes are ok as well. And if any non flying dude has an issue with it, they can kiss this dude’s butt.

 

[PaulS]

Dudes, I’m the kind of dude that likes to fly for fun and hang out with other dudes and dudettes of similar mindset especially the southeast dudes and dudettes though other flying dudes are ok as well. And if any non flying dude has an issue with it, they can kiss this dude’s butt.

 

[Skates97]

Early on in your flying career, you need to fly more to build muscle memory, and to make flying automatic. As you gain experience, you can spread your flights out more. When I started flying I realized that if I went more than a week, I forgot stuff and made simple mistakes. Later, I found that I could go 2 or 3 weeks without flying and still be "pretty" proficient. Then I lost my medical for a variety of reasons and excuses and had to stop flying.

Thirty years later, my wife decided to learn to fly. She had a similar experience. At first, if she didn't fly frequently, she got confused and made mistakes. Now she has around 1,000 hours and even if she doesn't fly for a month, she slides back into the groove easily. Much more than a month though and the rust starts to show.

I agree completely. The more time you have, the longer you can go between flights and it will not have as much impact on your proficiency. I only have a little over 200 hours in the year and a half since I started flying (a little under 50 to get my PPL and a little over 150 in the first year I've had my Mooney). If I fly at least once a week then everything seems smooth. If I go 2-3 weeks between flying my landings show the rust a little, not terrible, just not up to the standard that I would like to see from myself.

 

[Ravioli]

I'd like to personally invite @Rory to the Kentucky Dam Fly-in.

We're all arriving by airplane and it will be nice to have a boat to use while we're there. PM me if you need the dates.

[Edit: Forgot to add this]

 

[CC268]

Rory dunt have enuf cash to fly airplanes! He needs himself a new jerb so he can affords it!

 

[paflyer]

Dudes, I’m the kind of dude that likes to fly for fun and hang out with other dudes and dudettes of similar mindset especially the southeast dudes and dudettes though other flying dudes are ok as well. And if any non flying dude has an issue with it, they can kiss this dude’s butt.

 

[kayoh190]

Careful man, there's a beverage here!

 

[paflyer]

I was wondering how often I will need to fly in order to retain what I've learned once I've received my private pilot certificate over the long haul. I am a reasonably intelligent person but I'm wondering how much the use it or lose it may apply here. I don't have unlimited funds to fly twice a month in perpetuity. Thoughts, opinions, all welcome

For me this is more of a bucket list personal hobby item of interest that I think I will be continually interested in, in the long run I just don't know that I'll be able to fly as much as most of you.

Keep your "head" in aviation between flights. Tons of youtubes and forums to keep you "active" in an "inactive" fashion. Find buddies and fly right seat when you can. Many IR guys are always looking for a safety pilot to keep current.

 

[Tantalum]

I was wondering how often I will need to fly in order to retain what I've learned once I've received my private pilot certificate over the long haul.

That's a loaded question and will depend largely on the individual, as "proficient" as something that varies by person. FOR ME PERSONALLY I need to be in the air at least once a week, and physically flying as the plane as PIC at least 4 hrs per month.. preferably not going more than 10 days between flights acting as PIC

I don't have unlimited funds to fly twice a month in perpetuity

That's the age old issue with flying... FUNDS! I budget for 4 hrs a month, which works out to about $500-$600 per month.. that's not cheap.. but it is not outrageous when compared to the expense of a higher end car, or when looking at how much some people spend just going out drinking, etc. So basically budget $7K per year for it.. that's totally do-able assuming you prioritize and budget for it

So that's a question that really depends on the person, but for me, I want to fly at least once a week, hopefully more.

Same here. The more often the better. The goal is not more than 10 days and at least 4 hrs per month.. but I feel MOST proficient when I am in the air every 2-4 days, even if it is just a .6 after work joyride

Tons of youtubes and forums to keep you "active" in an "inactive" fashion. Find buddies and fly right seat when you can. Many IR guys are always looking for a safety pilot to keep current.

THIS! Reading about aviation, staying active in local clubs, forums, etc., and going as a safety pilot definitely helps you keep your game on. I fly as a safety pilot often and it is a pretty educational experience.. and it costs a heck of a lot less!!

 

[paflyer]

I think that the responses above don’t really respond to the question.

For people for whom this is a hobby, I think that this is a huge issue. In my case it is part of a current re-evaluation about how far I want to go with this.

I’m in New York. I’ve concluded that I have zero interest in flying to the Block Island airport so that I can have bad coffee at the airport and then get back in the plane to fly back. I also now know that if I want to fly to Block Island and stay for a couple of days, I’m looking at serious money for the plane to sit there.

A couple of days ago, I watched the latest Flight Chops video about three people flying in a cramped cockpit for five hours at 30,000 feet on autopilot. The YouTube audience loved the video, and indeed it is well made, in large measure because the plane was flying itself and they had lots of time for chit chat.

I asked myself this question: Why would I want to do that? I could do the same flight on Air Canada in half the time, for less money, with an aisle to walk to stretch my legs, a glass of wine as desired and a restroom a few feet away. To my question, I did not have a satisfactory answer.

I think that it’s really important to consider and answer the question “What, exactly, am I going to do with this license, and what is it going to cost over time”?

I’m beginning to understand why people take up gliding.

I don't get the hostility.

Why are you even a student pilot? I've read your antagonistic posts on other threads. No one is making you spend money you don't have or would rather spend at the pub.

This is a very expensive to maintain avocation for most,with little if any tangible "return", but those that do it sacrifice in other areas to afford it. We don't buy new cars (unless we keep them until they rot) or take $8000 cruises twice a year. It's about choices. If you see no "utility" or even enjoyment in it I recommend you get out, instead of dragging people down with you.

BTW, gliding ain't cheap either.

 

[easik]

If you can afford it, I think at least 2X a month should be enough. It's all about affordability though. I'd taken a break for a year after I got my PPL simply because life happened. And I know of some pilots who took much longer time away from the cockpit and came back to it. Flying is for a lifetime. Get your life and bank account situated first and fly as often as you wish

 

[jspilot]

I'm a hobby guy just like the OP. All of my flights are for fun, usually to get something to eat and come back or maybe to check out a new slice of the world I have not gone to yet. I can relate to the OP's concern.

When I first got my PPL I got advice from CFI's who all said basically that if you don't fly often your skills will go away. Therefore, I tried to fly as often as possible for the year after I got my PPL. Looking back in my log book, the year after was the most hours I've ever flown in a calendar year( about 60ish hours.) I believed that I needed to ingrain the skills for flying so I would be safe. I probably tried to fly once a week or once every other week( I can only fly on weekends except between mid June and early Septemeber as I don't teach during those months.)

Now, nearly 5 years later, I don't stress as much about getting up flying every week or every other week because I've noticed that my skills are pretty good even if I don't fly for 3 weeks to a month. So to the OP, fly frequently in the beginning to solidify your skills and build confidence. After a while, fly as often as you can!

One other thing to consider that I don't believe has been brought up, is all of my time( except about 40 hours out of ~350) is in Cessna 172's. While some guys may be wondering why I've stuck to one plane for so long, it has a lot to do with comfort zone. Since I've stuck to the same type of plane I don't need to fly as often to stay comfortable in the plane. If I was switching airplanes often I believe I would need to remain more active for the obvious fact that it would take more to remember the subtle differences between different makes and models.. So if the OP is going to fly a similar make and model each flight than this should allow for more comfort since all 172's, for example, are very similar fliers.