So you’ve always had a love for flying, but somewhere along the way life grounded you, and now it’s been years since you’ve been behind a cockpit.
Perhaps you were a student pilot who had to stop training. Or maybe you’re a former or retired pilot who has spent a few years driving a Honda Pilot instead of being a pilot. Either way, you’ve found yourself ready to return to the sky, but jumping back in the cockpit isn’t as easy as hopping back on a bicycle. Luckily, General Aviation News has two great articles detailing how rusty pilots and rusty student pilots can return to the air. Here’s a quick rundown of what they wrote:
The Roadmap for Rusty Student Pilots
Sometimes life gets in the way of our career dreams, and we have to put them on hold. Student pilots who never completed their first full certification can still pursue their dream when life presents the opportunity. But you may find yourself feeling a sense of deja vu when you begin your journey. A return to ground school is a must and that written test you spent so much time studying and preparing for the first time around? You’ll have to take it again.
Don’t let the idea of repeating a few steps hold you back. You may find yourself having an easier time this go around if you’ve kept what you previously learned stored somewhere in your mind. Also, there are a plethora of exam preparation materials out there to help you ace the exam. And you’ll find yourself appreciating the re-fresh of ground school before beginning flight training.
How Long is Flight Training for Rusty Student Pilots?
The length of time required for flight training varies by how much training the student previously had and how long it’s been since they last attended a class. Of course, you’ll need the minimum hours of training required for the pilot certification you are pursuing, but you’ll also need to refresh your knowledge and re-learn a thing or two you have forgotten. The good news is that if you’ve kept that old log book from your first round of training, those hours of flight still count. Just remember that nobody really completes their training in the minimum hours required so if your instructor tells you that you “only” have five hours of training left to complete, don’t be shocked if it actually takes ten hours.
You’ll also need to update your medical. Chances are, your previous medical has expired, but you have a few options other. General Aviation News details those options and other information for rusty student pilots in an article you can read here.
The Roadmap for Rusty Pilots
For some pilots, returning to the cockpit after a break is as simple as undergoing a flight review. All pilots must undergo a flight review from time to time, and the good news is that you can’t fail it. A flight review is an assessment of your ability to safely fly an aircraft. If you can demonstrate that you can safely operate a flight, you’re good to go again. But if not, you’ll have to take a few extra steps to get back in the sky.
If it turns out that you need some re-training to be able to take flight, you’ll first have to get grounded…at ground school that is! Don’t get too discouraged. This presents a great opportunity to refresh your memory and relearn a thing or two you might have forgotten. How long you will need ground school is up to you. If you work hard, keep your dues up, and stay in the know about aviation, you’ll move quickly. But if you need to operate at a slower pace, you can.
For more information on how to get back into the cockpit after a long break, including details on a three-hour ground school designed specifically for rusty pilots, check out this article from General Aviation.
