Airmanship
Flying After a Break
After winter or any break, skills can be rusty even if you're current – consider a refresher with an instructor, plan more thoroughly and slow things down.
1 min readKapiti Aero Club safety team
Shorter winter days and fewer flying opportunities – or any other break from flying – can mean you haven't been in the cockpit as often as you'd like.
Even if you're current on paper, skills such as radio work, lookout, circuit procedures and aircraft handling can feel rusty after a break.
If it's been a while since your last flight:
- Consider booking a refresher with an instructor, or choose a simple local flight before tackling something more demanding.
- Spend a bit more time on your pre-flight planning.
- Review the aircraft's systems.
- Don't be afraid to slow things down.