Document Type: Textbook (Technical). Purpose: Training & Education. Authority: Author Expertise. Series: The Command Decisions series, Volume 2

Scope: Textbook written for General Aviation pilots and owners. Written by Richard Taylor, "who has been writing about, and teaching, flying for more than 40 years."

From the dust jacket: "Pilot Proficiency: Skillbuilding for Every Pilot. While it may be true that learning to ride a bicycle is a skill not diminished by lack of practice, the same can't be said of flying an airplane. Indeed, even some professional pilots with thousands of hours in the air complain that a layoff of just a week noticeably: erodes cockpit performance. If a pilot doesn't exercise his or her skills and refresh them with regular training, proficiency suffers.

In this book, the second of the six-volume Command Decision series from Belvoir Publications, noted aviation author and pilot Richard Taylor explores the subject of pilot proficiency by examining dozens of accidents from the annals of the NTSB and Aviation Safety magazine. In the process, he explodes some common myths, including the widely held belief that pilots themselves are the best judges of their own proficiency. In fact, according to at least one research study, pilots often tend to overestimate their abilities and they often don't realize just how quickly such elementary skills as airspeed and attitude control and stall recognition atrophy.

In this book, Taylor treats the topic of pilot proficiency step by step, beginning with a section on the training process. He examines a fascinating study done by Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University that quantifies exactly how and why a pilot's skills degrade from disuse.

In section two, he covers a perennial proficiency problem: landings, takeoffs and go-arounds. Too many pilots, argues Taylor, suffer from the misconception that a few circuits around the pattern every 90 days are enough to stay sharp. Landings and takeoffs, however, require far more skill than most of us are willing to admit and staying sharp requires regular workouts. While debate rages on whether spin training should be required for the private license, the accident tally continues to indicate that stall-spin accidents are a frequent (and usually fatal) occurrence.

In section three, Taylor analyzes a number of accidents which suggest that regular practice of stalls should be a part of any pilot proficiency program.

In other sections, you'll find good advice on instrument and multi-engine proficiency, plus tips on practicing the emergency procedures that could save your life."

Contents (from the Table of Contents): "Preface Part 1. The Training Process Part 2. Landings, Takeoffs, Go-Arounds Part 3. Stalls and Spins. Part 4. Multi-Engine Proficiency Part 5. Emergency Procedures Part 6. Other Proficiency Considerations"