Essential Pilot Skills: Experience, proficiency, and currency are critical to your success

Flying—like playing professional sports or performing surgery—is a perishable skill. If you don’t use them regularly, your abilities will degrade. That’s why athletes practice constantly and medical teams regularly take proficiency training. It’s also the reason why the concept of currency is embedded so deeply in the rules that govern aviation. As a private pilot, it isn’t enough that you pass the written test and complete your check ride. If you want to carry passengers,...