Canuck
David Megginson
- Joined
- Mar 31, 2016
- Messages
- 7,077
- Reaction score
- 3,867
So it's the holidays, and your plane is in for annual anyway. How do you feed the flying bug when you can't get up in the air (much)? Aside from coming here (which we all do), which of these are you most like?
1. The Introvert: Immerse yourself in technical details. Reread the POH and all your avionics user manuals. Make a spreadsheet to recalculate performance numbers to another decimal place. Try different challenges on your sim to become more proficient (partial panel; NDB approaches; dead reckoning at night; etc). Read books about the technical side of flying (e.g. Leighton or Richard Collins).
2. The Extrovert: Get to the nearest hangar and share tall tales with the other armchair pilots. Go to aviation-related events like an EAA meeting, your local flying club's Christmas potluck, etc. Tell everyone you can find the same flying stories they've already heard 5 times.
3. The Dreamer: Read books about the romance of flying (e.g. Ernest Gann). Plan all the trips you're going to take some day. Buy even more aviation prints to put on your wall. Spend a lot of time reading Trade-a-Plane or Canadian Plane Trade imagining your next ride. Add more stuff to your Aircraft Spruce wishlist.
4. The Worrier: Go over all the accident reports you can find to figure out how you can avoid them. Read alarmist aviation books (like "The Killing Zone"). Go online and ask people again if you paid too much for your last annual. Make a checklist of all your paperwork in case the FAA or Transport Canada ramp checks you. Go to Aircraft Spruce to see about installing a third backup AI and a second engine monitor.
1. The Introvert: Immerse yourself in technical details. Reread the POH and all your avionics user manuals. Make a spreadsheet to recalculate performance numbers to another decimal place. Try different challenges on your sim to become more proficient (partial panel; NDB approaches; dead reckoning at night; etc). Read books about the technical side of flying (e.g. Leighton or Richard Collins).
2. The Extrovert: Get to the nearest hangar and share tall tales with the other armchair pilots. Go to aviation-related events like an EAA meeting, your local flying club's Christmas potluck, etc. Tell everyone you can find the same flying stories they've already heard 5 times.
3. The Dreamer: Read books about the romance of flying (e.g. Ernest Gann). Plan all the trips you're going to take some day. Buy even more aviation prints to put on your wall. Spend a lot of time reading Trade-a-Plane or Canadian Plane Trade imagining your next ride. Add more stuff to your Aircraft Spruce wishlist.
4. The Worrier: Go over all the accident reports you can find to figure out how you can avoid them. Read alarmist aviation books (like "The Killing Zone"). Go online and ask people again if you paid too much for your last annual. Make a checklist of all your paperwork in case the FAA or Transport Canada ramp checks you. Go to Aircraft Spruce to see about installing a third backup AI and a second engine monitor.
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