How Safe Am I

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Unregistered

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Hello Im a PPSEL just under 100 hours total time.

Now safe am I just flying 2 -3 hours a month? My flights are just local sight seeing 100 miles or less from the airport. I only fly daytime VFR with or without PAX.
 
Unregistered said:
Hello Im a PPSEL just under 100 hours total time.

hOW safe am I just flying 2 -3 hours a month? My flights are just local sight seeing 100 miles or less from the airport. I only fly daytime VFR with or without PAX.
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Changed now to how.
 
Add an hour every month practicing stalls, landings, and other basics, stay out of bad weather, and you should be better than OK.
 
There is some argument that statistically (that means as a group, not you in particular) pilots are most dangerous in the time between earning the certificate and somewhere about 250 hours.

Those statistics get a lot of criticism...

Make sure you have plenty of gas, use flows and a checklist, fly with a CFI occasionally....things like that help you be as safe as you can be and reduce the likelihood that you'll join the statistics.

All that said, we all had a lot to learn at 100 hours...
 
You'd probably be fine.

What would be even better is to fly once a week, doesn't have to be for hours and hours, but a little 1hr or even a .7 around the pattern and a couple steep turns and a stall will keep you fresh.

That beats the heck out of just going up once and burning 80% of your flight time in straight and level cruise.
 
Thanks for the comments. I hope to be able to fly more but that is what the budget dictates for now.
 
You won't get safer not flying, course you won't die flying if you don't fly.
 
Just use those hours to keep practicing what you did to get your certificate. Keep practicing he TO and landings, Statistically this is where you are most likely to have an issue if you keep to good day vfr flying. Don't do stupid stuff like low flying, or acrobatics (without proper supervision. Do a short cross country flight every few months and you should be fine.

Brian
CFIIG/ASEL
 
alfadog said:
Add an hour every month practicing stalls, landings, and other basics,...
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Like steep turns -- very good basic aircraft handling practice.
...stay out of bad weather, and you should be better than OK.
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That, and maybe some more demanding work such as emergency procedures, basic instruments, and precision landings with a CFI once or twice a year. The fact that a flight review is only required every 24 months doesn't mean you won't profit safety-wise from a bit of brush-up training more often, especially if you fly less than 50 hours a year.
 
That beats the heck out of just going up once and burning 80% of your flight time in straight and level cruise.
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I agree with James. I have read many articles in AOPA Pilot and other magazines which recommends steep turns, S turns across a road, and other basic maneuvers for pilots who, for whatever reason, are not getting as much time as they would like in the air. I think you can stay very safe by effectively using the flying time you have.
 
Ok what I have been doing has already been recommended.

Every other flight is practice flights that consists of practicing the PTS Standards.

Thanks for the comments.
 
How safe do you feel? If your uncomfortable ,then definitely get more practice in.
 
Also, remember that flying is largely a mental exercise.
When you are not flying, spend time thinking about it. Read the POH/AFM. Review your checklists. Look at your charts and try to make sure you know what all the symbols mean. Keeping your mind sharp and focused will probably help you as much as more flying will.
 
Self-assessment is the underlying principle for all PICs...no one else can make that determination outside of a checkride, a review or an AME exam.
 
I know for certain I cannot go more than 3 weeks without flying or I get an uneasiness feeling inside of being rusty.

Thanks for the comments.
 
Unregistered said:
I know for certain I cannot go more than 3 weeks without flying or I get an uneasiness feeling inside of being rusty.

Thanks for the comments.
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Same here. I tend to fly a lot but the work, life etc pile up and I see I have gone 2-3 weeks and no flying. I feel uneasy when getting back at it.

30 min in the air, and I feel good again.

My rule of thumb that I do okay at sticking to is for every 10 hours I fly, 2 need to be practice. For you, flying less, keep doing what you are doing and make it 50/50

Sounds like you are doing it fine. Only other thing I would offer is if you plan to take a long trip XC or something especially w/ pax, go up a day or two before and practice so you don't have nerves when it counts.
 
You said 2-3 hrs per month but said nothing about duration. If you MUST limit your time due to budget, them make it short flights rather than long XC flights. Do them as closely spaced as possible.

And above all, pay attention if you're not having fun.

If the budget allows, get checked out in an unfamiliar type. It counts as training in your logbook and possibly you can get the CFI to do a complete PTS review and sign you off for 61.56 at the conclusion.

Correction: I do recommend XC flight once in awhile. There is no replacement for that training.
 
Unregistered said:
I know for certain I cannot go more than 3 weeks without flying or I get an uneasiness feeling inside of being rusty.
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I've been doing this for 45 years and 10,000 hours, and I still get the same feeling of degraded proficiency if I don't fly for a couple of weeks.
 
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