Life After Achieving Your PPL
Gavin Weir, CFI, Auckland Aero club has written for us before. He carries insights that ring true with our readers. His last article for us was about Flight Instructors working for free - when they shouldn’t be.
In this article he addresses what can come next for pilots who gain their PPLs. As he expresses - a PPL is not the end of learning - or the final goal. Read on to see what he has to say.
Gavin Weir, CFI, Auckland Aeroclub
“What can I do next”? This is often a question on the lips of freshly minted private pilots, once the euphoria of gaining their license has faded and they’ve taken the obligatory friends and family round the local patch enough times for it to become a little routine.
There is often a sensation of loss of direction, up until this point they have been a student pilot, always planned for and pointed where to go and what to do by their diligent instructors – but now the apron-strings are off, they’re a licensed pilot and they’re on their own. Or are they?
Post-license support and mentoring is as critical to the PPL pilot as it was during their student days, only the frequency and format might change. It might be as little as a quick answer to a question that’s been puzzling them. It could be a reminder that the airspace they intend to use has changed since their last flight.
Conversations with new PPL pilots could scale up to a full-on discussion on what to do next. Instructors should still there for the pilots they helped form; and be interested in seeing them progress and gain both experiences and confidence.
It’s not expected that the PPL pilot is a font of all knowledge and needs no further input, rather the opposite – the PPL is a licence to learn, not to put learning behind them. Even as an owner-pilot, don’t close off the door to where you trained, there’s so much that can be gained from even just dropping in to say hi from time to time.
So, what CAN the PPL pilot do when it’s getting a little stale to trundle round the local patch yet again? Here are some ideas to help stretch ourselves that little bit more, to reinvigorate the thirst for knowledge and experience; and to become better and better as a pilot. Especially to have fun doing so:
Turn it around! If you’re doing the same old route again, try approaching it from another direction, literally (traffic flows permitting of course). Simply flying the route in reverse can be an interesting challenge that doesn’t affect the cost, which may well be a factor
If you’re always going north, what’s to the south? Explore the local area a bit more, you may have gotten into a rhythm of going to the same place over and over, while new and interesting areas await you at the same distance, just in a new direction
Polish it up – yes!, Keep improving your skills. The standard of the license is plus or minus X feet, or knots, or degrees, whatever. Does that mean we should be content to allow such deviations? Could we do better with a little more attention in the right place? Absolutely!
Maybe set a goal to get those lookouts slowed down and match what your instructor taught you, it’s rewarding to spot that joining aircraft as soon as they’ve announced their presence (or even before!) How about your approach set-up, does it always result in nice stable approaches, or are we still throttling up and down to get the thing on profile?
Work on it, practice it, refine it, and while perfect isn’t truly possible (out of the thousands of little factors that affect each and every flight, there’s always going to be another little refinement we could make, possibly one only we saw) we can get close, and that feels wonderful
Get involved with a Flying Club – be it through social activities, flying trips or Club competitions, there is usually always something to do (and often too few people trying to organize it!) Trips and competitions are great ways to gain new experiences or polish skills, and social activities are an additional way to socialize with like-minded people, share stories, learn lessons, maybe even meet your new flying buddy!
Try a new type – if your Club has access to multiple aeroplane types, give one a go. You don’t even need to commit to a type rating (although you may well want to after trying it out). Learning to fly a new type is a fun challenge, seeking to achieve the same standard but with new control layouts and forces, new speeds to fly, even having the wing on the bottom instead of on the top!
Begin a new endorsement such as night flying privileges, formation training, tailwheel, or an aerobatic rating. Like the type rating, even just trying it out may answer a question, satisfy the need for something different, or ignite a passion for a new aspect of aviation.
Get some practice in – do most of your flights end up being in “nice” weather? Maybe if your intended flight has been cancelled due to crosswind being a bit more than you’d like solo, a bit of dual practice will give the feeling of achievement, and make you more comfortable to boot when you come back from that next cross-country to find the forecast has changed and it’s now 15 knots straight across the home runway.
Perhaps it’s been a year since that flight test (or last BFR). When was the last time a steep turn, a stall, or a practice forced landing was carried out? Were they still to standard? Grab an instructor and get them to give you some feedback on the exercises that make up your skillset. It will keep you sharper, safer and more confident (and bonus, it will really please your B-Cat when it comes time to do that next BFR!)Explore further afield – this isn’t necessarily going on long cross-countries (although that’s great fun and experience). Let’s say that a business or family trip has taken you elsewhere in the country, and you’ll have an afternoon free – the local Aero Club could well offer you something different, maybe in a new aeroplane type too! If you’re a North Island pilot hanging around the South Island, grab the chance for some extra Terrain Awareness flying in the bigger mountains with the pilots who do it every day. If you’re from a Flying New Zealand affiliated Club, other affiliated Clubs may offer you reciprocal rights – it’s always good to ask!
Try the dark side – ok not the dark side but it’s often not even thought of, as though there’s some sort of exclusivity going on. Helicopters, and gliders! Why not have a trial flight with your local operator? It’s certainly different to the norm and can give a great insight into how these pilots do thing, which allows even better situational awareness in our own flying.
Crack a book – weather miserable? Get one of those theory books out (you still have them, right??) and refresh the knowledge required of your license. Bonus points if it’s not your favorite subject but one that never really “clicked”. If you don’t feel like theory, search the library, or online – there are dozens and dozens of fantastic reads that can really inspire. Again, talk to your instructors or other Club members, they’re bound to have a list of recommended must-reads!
A goal to work towards – it might be hour-building to start a higher-license training course. It might just be you realize you’ve nearly got 100 hours in your favorite aeroplane.
Is your Club Flying New Zealand affiliated? If so, you should have received your Pilot Proficiency Program Blue badge when you gained your PPL (if not, approach your CFI!!)
For the students out there, you’re eligible for the Green badge when you’ve completed your first solo and three theory exams – so get studying!
The Pilot Proficiency Program is designed to recognize self-development in aviation, each badge has a required total flying hours and number of “options” from the list. These range from gaining more type ratings, to participating in a regional rally, up to completing a world record flight(!) Plus you can get a neat badge (and logbook sticker, and certificate) to mark the achievement
While it can be daunting to approach something new, or challenging, it’s these things that make us grow as pilots. Be not content to sit there doing the same old same old week after week, but to strive to improve, to be better than last time, to gain knowledge and experience that fulfils our passion in this incredible industry. To make us truly artful in our flying.
