The biggest change to my life in 2022 was the birth of my son. I also decided that I'd commit to learning to fly before he turned 5 years old. The problem with life is that it gets in the way sometimes. This is especially true if you are a new parent with no immediate family support. And so, it took me a little over 13 months to amass `10.1` hours of flight training. This isn't unusual. A lot of people looking to attain a [Private pilot licence](https://www.caa.co.uk/General-aviation/Pilot-licences/Aeroplanes/Private-Pilot-Licence-for-aeroplanes/) end up taking a few years to do it, often starting and stopping as either time or funds gets too short. Despite the stop and start nature of my training, I feel like I've retained good skills, and I find myself jumping back into the cockpit confident and able to recall what I learned previously, even if it was one or two months prior. I know that as I get closer to completing my training, I'll need to fly more frequently and so I am aiming to go to once a week when I return to the UK. I think my ability to maintain my skills and knowledge is down to _how_ I am structuring my learning. I wanted to share a few practices which have benefited me. ## The Phonetic alphabet You'll need to learn the [International Phonetic Alphabet](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Phonetic_Alphabet) in order to make radio communications. The way I learned to do this was pretty weird. My son was a terrible sleeper in his first few months of life. I'd spend hours each night soothing him to sleep. And during this time I'm recite the phonetic alphabet like this: _"A is for Alpha, B is for Bravo..."_ I'd probably do this about ten to fifteen times a night. It was a great way to get it stuck in my head. This is something you can do too, and you don't even need a baby. You can practice reciting back [car registration plates](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vehicle_registration_plates_of_the_United_Kingdom) as you walk or drive past other cars. Or maybe when you give people your post code you can use the phonetics. Even your Google meet ID or Health Insurance number is an opportunity to practice it. ## Clouds You also need to memorise different types of [clouds](https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/weather/learn-about/weather/types-of-weather/clouds), what weather they typically accompany, and how high in the sky they are. There is a whole exam about it, so this one is important. I started memorising this by creating a note on my phone with pictures. Each day I'd look at the sky and try and guess what clouds I could see. Then I'd check my phone. It took me about a month to learn the whole set of common clouds. ## Don't rush There is a temptation to rush past all the early lesson to accrue hours. Don’t do this. Enjoy those first few lessons. They will feel mundane, only learning about one simple thing a lesson, but the pacing is ideal for gaining the core skills. So relax, be comfortable with that pace. Don’t rush. Because soon it’ll be too much. ## Information Saturation Soon you’ll find lessons overload your brain and you’ll get lost. Your hands will turn to jelly and you’ll forget what to say. This is [information saturation](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Information_overload) and it happens when you learn a new complex skill. Let your flight instructor know when this happens and remember: they are there to keep you safe and teach you. They will support you, so don’t feel worried. ## Healthy use of Flight Sims Flight simulators _can_ benefit your training. But they cannot replace it and they cannot help you maintain currency. For certain aspects they are beneficial, especially if you cannot get lessons regularly. I use [Microsoft Flight Simulator](https://www.flightsimulator.com/) with a [yoke and throttle](https://www.turtlebeach.com/pages/velocity-one-flight) to complement my training. Specifically, I use it for: - Memorising procedures during circuits. - Practising check lists. - Familiarisation with the inside of a cockpit (assuming you can find the same virtual plane as the one you are practising in). - Familiarisation with the geography around your training aerodrome. - Revising a previous lesson you just had to ingrain new knowledge. However, I want to be clear on what a flight simulator **cannot** help with: - The sounds and sensations of the plane during flight. - The "feel" of the engine RPM as it changes. You need to learn these things to become a great pilot, especially during the more complex parts of flying, and simulators cannot replicate them. ## Revise often At the end of each lesson I'll take my de-brief notes from my instructor and write up a summary of the lesson in a book. Before each lesson, I'll read through the notes and remind myself of the key learnings, any acronyms, or procedures. Between lessons I would try and set aside a few revision sessions with the technical manuals needed for the theoretical exams. ## Take photos! There are a few times in your pilot life you get to be a tourist - very early in your career, and very late. In your first few lessons don't feel afraid to ask your Flight Instructor if you can take photos and enjoy the scenery a moment. You won't get the opportunity to do it much once the lessons get more intense, and not again really until you've got your licence. So enjoy those early lessons and take photos! ## The next 35 hours Thanks for reading this article, if you'd like to get in touch you can reach me through: - [Fosstodon](https://fosstodon.org/@proteanmachine) - [Email](mailto:[email protected]) - [GitHub](https://github.com/phalt) Paul