15 Hour Wonders

Ditto what Walt says. I fly pipeline work in my winter off season from crop spraying and am responsible for training new pipeline fliers. The vast majority of our pilots are young CFI’s who are looking for additional hours on their way to the airlines. I can tell you first hand that the level of stick and rudder skills in the vast majority of these guys is attrocious!

Yes they can make a 360 holding alt to +-100 and airspeed +- 10 but just barely, with the nose pitching up n down and the ball all over the place and they are slavishly dependant on their instruments. Yes they “pass� the commercial standard but they have no feel or understanding, or more serious, no desire to understand the nuances of proper airmanship. I quite literally have to reteach these guys how to make a steep coordinated turn. There are exceptions, I do run into a few guys who love flying and want to learn all they can of the foundations of airmanship. These guys are a joy to teach. But they are the exception.

What we have is something of a dumbing down of basic flying skills. And this is being passed down the line. While guys are great at working the electronics and at flight communications, they are not taught or encouraged to perfect the flying of the airplane. I’m afraid this same trend is working its way into soaring.