It may seem obvious to say that "you will be rusty" when you're first stepping back in the cockpit after 3 months of enforced physical "aviation deprivation".  Here's some tips and tricks we recommend you follow to help get you back up to speed in minimum time.

1. Do your homework. Read up your textbooks and LFS training notes on the training sequences that you had done immediately prior to lock down - maybe even a few months worth?  Revise your lessons, have a look through our Moodle.  (We've put a lot more material in there over the last few months.)

2. Relearn your checklists. Dig out your checklists and remind yourself how to start it, taxi it, and so on.  We'd particularly suggest you relearn those Pre-Takeoff and Pre-Landing checks.

3. Relearn your muscle memory. It may sound cheesy (and you might like to do this in the privacy of your room, car or whatever) but closing your eyes, and moving your hands around an imaginary cockpit while following your checklist will help relearn "muscle memory".  eg. Brakes On - Undercarriage Down - Fuel On - Breakers In etc.

4. Relearn your numbers. It's difficult to imagine how the cockpit horizon will appear but you CAN relearn the engine power settings for each stage of flight. What's the normal engine RPM setting for start? Taxi? Runups? Takeoff? Climbout?  Cruise? Base leg? Final leg?

5. Bond with your aeroplane.  Try and get here a little early to spend some extra time 'bonding' with your plane. Spend extra time sitting in it by yourself refamiliarising where everything is and how it feels when you move it/switch it/hold it etc.

6. Take your time. We know you are excited to climb into the skies again.  BUT it's far better to take things extra slowly to better enjoy and absorb all the sensations that goes with remembering what you need to do and when you need to do it.

7. Accept and recognise.  Accept that you probably won't be as good as you were at some things before lock down.  Don't worry, you WILL improve with practice. The first step is to recognise and understand what you're missing/forgetting and only then will you have steps to improve.

8. Lastly! ALL Pilots. All of the above will still apply to a greater or lesser degree even if you are fully licenced and may have hundreds or even thousands of hours under your belt.  This is what a 3 Monthly Check is for - a perfect chance to take your time and remaster your flying skills.  Call us to book in your 3MC and perhaps take the chance to cover skills you normally would not do - eg when was the last time you did a PFL? Glide Approach? Flapless?

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