Time to quit flying?

[Krallu]

I fly mainly 99% VFR flights with some instructing as well.

I do hold a multiengine IR rating and I have been keeping it alive with proficiency checks, each second year in simulator and each second in the real deal aircraft.

Due to this my flight proficiency in multi engine environment have of course decreased every year.

This time we did some extra training in the simulator to try to get my standard up before doing the real deal in aircraft.

But have you heard, I did crash the simulator on two occasions when in engine failure and failing to use rudder correctly and also missing airspeed due to high workload. :eek:

Is this the time to realize I should stop doing any more proficiency checks in multi engine and let the licence expire? I also wonder if I should stop the VFR instructing because how many instructors is out there going crashing simulators. I should not be flying.

[parabellum]

All you have demonstrated is that you have not kept sufficiently in practice on multi engine flying. Hire a twin with an instructor for an hour or two, go away and do a few engine failures straight and level, practice some SE flying, including turns, climbs, descents, get used to only having a single engine, then come back to the circuit and start with an engine failure on climb out with climb power, when you both think you are up to speed take the engine failure shortly after rotate.

Flying is not a natural environment for man, you have to keep current or you lose the skill.

No need to cancel your licence, just go practice and regain your self confidence, you have done it before, remember?

[westhawk]

Krallu:

It depends upon what the root cause of your struggles to maintain control of the situation might be. As stated above, a simple lack of practice can leave one a little short of performing to standard, whether it be objective standards or those you set for yourself. If that's the case, it can be fixed with practice and drill. You are in the best position to know whether a lack of overall cognitive ability is the root cause. In this case, the extra practice will not yield the expected increase in proficiency and reducing or curtailing the level of responsibility you trust yourself with may become necessary before the matter is either decided by someone else or by events.

General Jimmy Doolittle made this decision himself when he felt his other responsibilities no longer allowed him to maintain the required level of skill and situational awareness. Eventually we all find ourselves lacking and face the decision of whether to step up our game or chuck it in.

If you've simply run into a low spot in your flying confidence due to an isolated case of below par performance, then you'll apply some effort and overcome this temporary setback. And perhaps learn some important lessons to apply in the future. Questioning yourself is not wrong. Best of success in getting the most from the next step.

All the best.

[Natstrackalpha]

Damn right.
After returning to flying with thousands of hours experience - I came back to flying with `the same` confidence I had when I left.

I was fine, admittedly, I could not take off, I could not navigate and I could not land properly but apart from those little anomolies - I was fine!!:uhoh:

You have to stand on your self and say - "right, we are going to do it properly now"

If, after putting your foot down - it aint happening, then you would probably be better off doing some re-training - as the training, is refreshing and fun!

It is lovely to be trained again - you can actually enjoy the flying again, and therefore `grow back into it`

You know what I mean?

So long as you have the quintessential magic ingredient which is:

You have got to want to do it.

[ahramin]

I'd say yes, time to quit. Flying is not for everyone and the consequences of persisting despite that can be very serious.

[5LY]

Maybe all you need is to think a bit about your technique. Think "dead foot dead engine" but go further than that. Imagine that your active foot and your active throttle are attached. If you push the throttle up on your good engine you push your foot in on that side. If you pull it back, reduce your foot pressure on that side. The stick should be straight in you hands. If it's turned to the right, step down on the right rudder, if it's to the left, step down on the left rudder. Use your feet to keep the stick straight in your hands. Sit in a chair and imagine you have the controls in your hands and turn your stick to one side. Then push your foot out on that side and imagine the stick coming straight in your hands. Play this game until the muscle memory takes.

Everyone has a bad sim occasionally. Your horse awaits you.