With the current political climate, it is more important than ever that pilots fly regularly.  In England, there is an organization of trail bike riders who diligently log time riding ancient trails through the English countryside, in order to maintain ancient right-of-ways in a use-it-or-lose-it system.  If we want to maintain free access to airspace, airports and ATC, we should look at flying the same way.  It is truly in our best interests to both bring new pilots into aviation and to help inactive pilots start flying again.

You probably know a pilot that has been away from flying for a while.  Maybe their career got in the way, or they just didn’t fly for a few weeks and that lapse suddenly turned into a few years.  Now, even though they love to talk about flying at the drop of a leather helmet, they think it would take too much time, effort, or money to get current.  Well, now you can help overcome all three of those objections by recommending one of our new “Return to Flying” kits (Return to VFR Flying Kit | Return to IFR Flying Kit).  These products will make it quick, easy, and fun for your pilot friend to get back up to speed—and to address the “too expensive” part, we slashed the price by 50%!

The freedom to fly without excessive governmental fees and restrictions is not guaranteed by our Constitution.  We need to remain diligent in fighting threatening legislation.  Just as important, we need to make sure our population stays strong, vibrant and … flying!  We hope that you will join us in helping to both bring new pilots into aviation and to get those inactive pilots flying again.

I suppose understanding any skill better can lead to greater enjoyment. Perhaps because stress drops when you know more. Or, maybe knowing more just means you get to do more. Whatever the mix, I’m convinced it´s some of both.

You may not know this, but John and Martha hold every FAA category and class of pilot and instructor rating available on their certificates. What has been interesting for them is the discovery that with each new rating or certificate achieved, they would fall in love with flying all over again.

If you are mulling over a 2010 resolution, consider what would “renew your spirit.” Perhaps a new rating is just the thing. And given that it is the dead of winter, studying now will have you ready when good flying weather returns.

If you do commit to a new rating or certificate as your resolution, you´ll want to take an approach that ensures your success. “New Year´s Resolution experts” suggest these tips for getting you there:

• Choose your own path. Choose what you really want in life. If you have a passion for flying, commit to it.
• Make one resolution. Focus your energy on a single goal and you´ll increase the probability of success. It should be a SMART goal: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Time-based. This makes a rating or certificate a perfect fit.
• Create a plan. A goal without clear steps is just wishful thinking. If you choose to self-direct your study, you´ll want to review the FAA requirements and create an outline covering all the appropriate areas. KING courses provide you with this plan and automatically track your progress through it.
• Create your plan now. “Those who wait capitulate!” In spite of what we hear about broken resolutions, several studies show that those who commit to a resolution are 10 time more likely to succeed than those who don´t put their plan into action. In short, if it´s worth doing, it´s worth committing to right away.
• Tell your friends and family. If folks know what your goal is, they will ask about it, giving you motivation to keep going. Even better, find a buddy who wants the same rating or certificate and commit to encouraging each other.
• Remind yourself of the benefits. A new rating or certificate has huge payoffs in freedom and experiences. It will help to recall this at regular intervals. If you´re a VFR pilot, think about life above the clouds with your Instrument Rating!
• Reward yourself at smaller milestones. If you use self-directed study you´ll need to figure out where these milestones fit into your plan. KING courses are designed as bite-size learning segments and your progress through the course is automatically tracked, so it will be easy to know when you´ve reached a milestone—we tell you!
• Develop a ritual. With either self-directed study or KING courses, you can study anywhere and anytime. However, you´ll want to make sure you set aside a consistent time to study. This will limit the interruptions and will help set your own expectations.
• Expect the occasional setback. Convince yourself that difficulties encountered are temporary, and need not be a reason to give up altogether. Smaller milestones help here, too. For self-directed study, find sample FAA questions for your current section of study and test yourself to see if you understand what you are learning—you don´t want to find this out after you´re done studying. If you use a KING course, we´ll provide you with targeted FAA questions at the end of each short segment, so you´ll always know your true progress. And our courses automatically create review segments for those areas where you need a little extra work.

By the way, our KING test courses come with both a 30-day satisfaction guarantee and a full refund if you fail the FAA test within one year—which I am confident you won´t.

Still have more questions? Give us a call at 1-800-854-1001. We have a lot of pilots here who would be happy to help.

Happy New Year,

Barry Knuttila
SVP of Marketing and Technology, CFII, MEI