The New Pilot PodBlog Ep #01 - Goal Setting

Welcome everyone to Episode #01 of The New Pilot PodBlog - Goal Setting

In this episode I discuss my goals that I have laid out to make my flying more interesting, safe and fun. After my checkride I felt the need to give my flying more structure so that it would stay interesting. While searching the internet to get ideas on how I could use my certificate, I came across a great article, Leading Edge #1: After Your Checkride -- The Next 100 Hours by Thomas P. Turner.

In it Thomas discusses why you should set up goals to keep your interest in flying. He states that if pilots do not have goals, they tend to loose interest and stop flying. This was the article that I was looking for! Here was Thomas discussing my own concerns. I needed a reason to fly, besides the proverbial $100 hamburger and this gave me a starting point on how to structure my post-checkride flying.

I have also been interested in Scenario Based Training (SBT) and I am currently reading Arlynn McMahon's Train Like You Fly: Guide to Scenario-Based Training. Using Thomas' article, Arlynn's book and what I would like to get out of flying, I constructed by plan.

Each flight that I take will have a least one goal from the following three categories. Of course they will all have the goal of having fun. No sense flying if you don't have fun.

The categories are:

1) Reinforcement - This is where I reinforce the skills I learned in my training

• get proficient in the PTS tasks in the Eaglet 
• plan and fly cross-country flights of different lengths, to familiar and unfamiliar airports. This will also build my time for future ratings and certificates. 
• practicing landings, no touch-and-goes, only taxi-back and take-off 
• simulated emergencies 

2) Proficiency - This is where I hone my flying skills and really learn about my abilities

• learn pitch/power/sight picture for all phases of flight 
• practice crosswind landings to get proficient in different wind speeds and directions 
• land at different size runways to really know which runway lengths and widths I am comfortable landing on 
• become proficient in the GPS and autopilot in the Eaglet or any new equipment

3) New Experience - This is where I have fun, develop new skills and become a better pilot

• landing on grass strips 
• aerobatics/upset training 
• glider rating 
• tail-wheel endorsement 
• long cross-countries to the edge of the planes endurance 
• Class B operations, fly to a Class B airport. It would be awesome to land at JFK. 
• New certificates and ratings. I am currently studying for the Advanced Ground Instructor certificate and I am planning on getting the Certified Flight Instructor - Sport Pilot certificate 

These are the goals I hope to accomplish. I am sure they will change over time as I consistently reevaluate what I want to get out of my certificate. It may take me 100 hours or 1000 hours, but one thing is certain, they will give me a reason to fly because it will be interesting.

In the next episode, I discuss my first flight as a private pilot and how it caused me to rethink and refocus how I would use my certificate.

Shout Outs:

You can find Thomas P. Turners article here
You can find Arlynn McMahon's book here
This is a link to Mid Island Air Service where I rent the Eaglet
And Michael Mancuso's website

Direct link to the mp3.

Thank you for listening! Blue skies everyone.

You can reach me at TheNewPilotPodBlog@gmail.com
Please send comments and suggestions.

You can follow me on Twitter at twitter.com/NewPilotPodBlog

The intro and closing song is John Mellencamp's My Aeroplane.