AviationBanter - View Single Post - You mean I have to TALK to ATC?

**Airbus** · September 16th 07, 09:47 PM posted to rec.aviation.student,rec.aviation.piloting

In article ,
NVALID says...

In article ,
"Doug Semler" wrote:

I've been away from flying now for 31 years. Getting back to it in a few
weeks, lots of bookwork in my immediate future.

If I end up retraining on something with a glass cockpit, it will be the
first time I've seen one outside a magazine.

That's just great that you're getting back into it.
My bet is you'll find many more similarities than differences, compared
with what you knew 31 years ago. In any case, I hope you'll be coming back
to us to let us know how it's going, and to report on what differences you
do find. I'd be particularly interested in knowing what differences you
perceive in pilots' attitudes - toward flying, safety consciousness,
utility - their overall mind set. . .

You will have some advantages because of your "historical" vantage point
(don't take it badly ;-)). As systems always evolve, what we do today is
directly derived from what we did yesterday, so you will easily grasp some
concepts that the young whippersnappers have difficulty wrapping their
minds around. Of course, there will be entirely new concepts to learn -
like RNP, or ADS-b, but the learning was always part of the satisfaction in
flying.

My recommendation would be that you start with what's familiar - find a
plane that's close to what you knew before. As mentioned earlier, the
standard training environment hasn't changed radically - yet. Then work
into the new stuff, and you'll find it's really great, and much easier than
what you had to learn before.

Best of luck - and report back to us. . .