Fleetflyer said:
Stay Current & fly frequently.
A very practical and good advise that makes sense to me.
Control and performance are two major factors that, if consistently maintained through currency and frequent flying, will significantly improve the chances of securing positive outcomes in aircraft failure circumstances.
I was in Florida flying during the first two weeks of December 2014 and the aircraft available was Cessna Skyhawk 172 or 182 with G1000 cockpit. The last time I flew a Cessna with G1000 was in November 2011. Since then I've been flying only Cirrus SR20 and SR22.
Even though I successfully completed the checkout in C182 without problems, I noticed some deficiencies in my handling of the aircraft. Clearly, I wasn't current in the C182 to secure the level of control and performance that I'm used to in the Cirrus aircraft. I fly about 50-70 hours in the Cirrus yearly.
Maintaining currency and frequently practicing flight operations in the cockpit is the best way to sustain flight envelope in both normal and abnormal circumstances.
WP