I'm a fully qualified fATPL holder, just out of training at the worst possible time. Both my MEP class rating and IR are up for their first renewal early next year, and like many I've barely logged any hours this year. In fact, with the exception of the two days messing around at UPRT, the last time I flew properly was the initial IR test last March. I had hoped to join a flying club and get a bit of time in the air to keep things fresh, but by the time I was in a position to afford it everything had closed down again. I struggled enough with my confidence the first time round so as you can imagine it's a pretty daunting prospect to have to do another two tests after a year out.
I know I don't
need to keep current while the jobs market is so barren, but the advice they give us is to do so in case something comes up unexpectedly, plus my skills are only going to fade more with no sign of weekend flying being possible anytime soon, so I might as well do it now. And besides I think it helps my mental health while I work a job that I don't want to know that I can legally fly a plane lol. I know there will be lots of people in a similar situation facing renewals, I'm just feeling particularly apprehensive as a newbie since I've no flight time outside of training and I don't have years of experience to fall back on.
I'm interested to hear the thoughts of others in similar circumstances, or from anyone who's already been through the process and can tell me it's not that bad
